Summit shock facility on governor’s prison closure list

PHOTOGRAPHER: David Lombardo

The Summit Shock prison in Schoharie County was named by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday as one of seven state prisons that will be closed in an attempt to save a total of $184 million over the next two years.

The closings could begin in 60 days, with the Summit Shock facility poised to lose 100 jobs that were regarded as some of the best in the area.

Alicia Terry, director of planning for the county Planning and Development Agency, said that the facility has been a source of reliable employment for decades and predicted that staffers could experience a culture shock when they begin looking for private sector jobs. She said the job loss will hit that area particularly hard because the prison is the largest employer. She argued that the county has already been experiencing worse unemployment problems than the rest of the state

“They’ve been good, steady jobs with great benefits,” Terry said. “We’re definitely going to see an economic hit as a result.”

In a news release sent out by the governor announcing the closures, he noted that areas affected by closures will be able to apply for tax breaks and receive part of $50 million for revitalization.

Terry said they will aggressively pursue the state funds but said it will be an uphill battle to create comparable jobs to the ones lost. “Certainly, those good-quality jobs are going to be challenging to re-create,” she said.

Assemblyman Peter Lopez, R-Schoharie, questioned whether the decision by the governor wasn’t premature and suggested that savings could have been found in other areas in the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. He said that the DOCCS should have embraced consolidation efforts at the administrative level before it began to close prisons for savings.

“What has the executive branch done … to identify other cost-containment measures in DOCCS before closing facilities outright?” Lopez wondered. He estimated that administrative savings alone would have been worth tens of millions of dollars.

Lopez also worried about whether the governor’s office had a plan to lessen the impact of the facility’s closing. He said a Cuomo representative was unable to provide him with concrete plans when questioned on Thursday except to say that the Empire State Development Corp. would have a role in revitalization efforts.

“The governor’s office did say they would be happy to hear any recommendations,” Lopez said. He promised to work with local and state officials to fill the job void.

In a news release, state Sen. James Seward, R-Milford, echoed predictions of economic woe for Schoharie County but seemed to argue that the closure could be a positive change.

Citing the state’s promised capital funding and tax breaks, in conjunction with his own efforts to find accommodations of displaced workers in the DOCCS system, Seward said, “We will make this a net plus for Schoharie County.”

The New York State Public Employees Federation raised concerns about safety in the wake of these closings, which it said would lead to crowded conditions in other facilities.

“The closing of these facilities not only will force ‘double bunking,’ which puts two dangerous criminals in a space designed for one, it will greatly reduce the ‘step-down’ treatment of inmates,” PEF President Ken Brynien said.

But in his news release, Cuomo argued, “The state’s prison system has been too inefficient and too costly with far more capacity than what is needed to secure the state’s inmate population and ensure the public’s safety. This plan is the result of very careful and detailed analysis and deliberation.”

The seven prisons include four minimum-security facilities, in Erie, Madison and Bronx counties and the Summit Shock facility, and three medium-security facilities, in Richmond, Orange and Oneida counties.

The closings will result in the elimination of approximately 3,800 beds, according to the governor. Prisoners will be moved to other prisons that have available space.