PA governor to follow through on plan to close state prison
Gov. Tom Wolf says he’ll follow through on his plan to close another state prison. Wolf’s administration made the announcement Friday after it carried out the required hearings on its plan. The move was announced originally in August as a cost-cutting step amid a declining inmate population and rising prison costs. The plan was criticized by the corrections’ officers union and state lawmakers whose districts surround Retreat state prison in northeastern Pennsylvania. Retreat, about 10 miles west of Wilkes-Barre, has about 400 employees and about 940 inmates. The administration says the closing could occur in four months at an annual savings of $40 million.