Let's not go there. Breaking the law is a popular thing nowdays and the jails and prisons are overcrowded. That is the main reason the judges turn them loose. No where to house them.
Over crowded? Not in NY
The closings come as the state’s prison population has dropped to 31,469, a 56 percent decline from a peak of 72,773 in 1999. The sharp decrease is partly a result of the dismantling of the state’s strict 1970s-era drug law and laws that allow early release for nonviolent offenders.
The six prisons that will close are well under capacity: Taken together, they can fit up to 3,253 people, but now house just 1,420, all of whom will be transferred to other facilities before closing in March 2022.
The move is expected to save taxpayers $142 million, officials said, adding that the closings would not result in layoffs. Instead, the state will work to shift the roughly 1,700 workers who are employed at the six prisons to other facilities or agencies.
Michael Powers, the president of the New York State Correctional Officers Police Benevolent Association, said the union opposed the closings, adding that the state was saving money while doing little to protect correction officers who, he said, had suffered an increase in violent attacks.
“Where is the reinvestment in the facilities to make these prisons safer working environments?” Mr. Powers said. “At some point, the state needs to realize that these choices are more than just buildings and tax-saving measures, these are life-altering decisions that upend lives and destroy communities.”
