(Host) The Corrections commissioner supports closing the prison in St. Johnsbury, even though there’s been a public outcry against the plan.
Commissioner Andy Pallito says the department has already cut 100 or more staff positions, and is closing two Probation and Parole offices.
He says in order to save an additional two-point-five million dollars, his department has to cut a larger operation entirely.
Pallito says that means the department has no other option than to close one of its prisons.
(Pallito) "This is not, you know, a perfect fix, but it is a reaction to these huge fiscal pressures we’re facing across state government. The only other option would be to close multiple field offices at this point, or to look at another facility, which is just going to mean another town or community is going to be affected."
(Host) Pallito says closing the prison would mean laying off at least 60 workers.
But State Senator Matthew Choate, a Democrat from Caledonia County, says the potential impact on the community is much larger than just the prison’s jobs.
(Choate) "The 65-70 jobs at the prison itself, we believe, are amplified to about twice that when considering the impact of closing the facility. There are a number of outside businesses and services that rely on the prison for work, and our own fiscal analysis within the town says we may lose up to another 50 or 60 jobs in the private sector."
(Host) Choate says he also worries about the potential impact on local law enforcement.
He says if a St. Johnsbury officer has to drive someone to the nearest prison, that would require several hours to get to the Newport prison and back.