State Plans To Close Another Prison

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania prison officials are planning to close another prison, as the inmate population continues to decline and prison costs rise.  A state lawmaker, Sen. John Yudichak, told The Associated press on Wednesday that prison officials had just briefed him and Retreat state prison staff in northeastern Pennsylvania about its plans to close it.  Gov. Tom Wolf’s office isn’t commenting.  Retreat has about 400 employees and is at full capacity with almost 1,100 inmates.  Pennsylvania’s state prison population is about 48,000, after reaching nearly 52,000 in 2012. Retreat is about 10 miles west of Wilkes-Barre.  Wolf’s administration closed a state prison in Pittsburgh in 2017. Retreat’s original buildings date back to the 19th century and it has the fewest beds of any of Pennsylvania’s 25 state prisons.