Gowanda Correctional Facility is one of three state prisons now scheduled for closure. Author: Jackie Roberts, WGRZ Staff Published: 7:50 PM EST December 22, 2020 Updated: 8:13 PM EST December 22, 2020
GOWANDA, N.Y. On Tuesday, local and state leaders alongside union representatives gathered outside the Gowanda Correctional Facility, calling on the governor to reverse his decision to close it in 90 days.
The people who spoke out against the decision told reporters the closure will have a negative impact on the community and correctional system, on top of forcing families to uproot and relocate during what s already an extremely difficult time. My thoughts and prayers are with the hard-working people that found out four days before Christmas that life as they know it could potentially be changed. Governor, please think about your decision, and we implore you to reverse it, said Gowanda Mayor David Smith.
WBFO s Tom Dinki reports.
Cuomo was given the power in this year’s state budget to close an unspecified number of prisons, so long as he gives the state Legislature 90 days’ notice. On Monday, the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision announced three state prisons, including the Gowanda Correctional Facility, will shut down by March 30. The three closures are expected to save approximately $89 million, the agency said.
Republican state legislators, as well as union representatives, gathered outside the prison on Tuesday to criticize the closing. State Sen. Minority Leader Robert Ortt (R-Tonawanda) called the announcement, just four days before Christmas Day, “especially cruel.”
Closing the Gowanda Correctional Facility will have a devastating impact on the local economy, according to Gowanda Mayor David Smith.
The medium security prison in the Town of Collins is one of three state prisons New York State is shuttering as a cost saving move.
The two other state prisons being closed are the Watertown Correctional Facility and the Clinton Annex in Dannemora.
All three are expected to be closed by March 30, according to a letter from the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. To achieve the savings associated with the state s financial plan for this agency, the closure process must begin immediately, wrote Acting Commissioner Anthony Annucci.
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GOWANDA –Village Mayor David Smith on Monday afternoon called the impending closing of the Gowanda Correctional Facility “terrible news for the hundreds of local workers.”
Smith, who said he participated in a Bible study with the prisoners there every Monday before the COVID-19 pandemic, said the news of the closing comes as a “total surprise.”
“To get news right before the holidays that a March 31 closing is imminent is a huge piece of bad news for this community that has worked hard to fight through this pandemic and so much more,” he said. “The state’s budget has been in bad shape long before COVID. Those in power like to link the deficit to COVID, but the budget has been struggling for awhile,” Smith said.
Tuesday, December 22, 2020 - 9:24 am
The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, Inc. (NYSCOPBA) criticized Governor Andrew Cuomo’s decision to close more prisons as a part of his Executive Budget plan for fiscal year 2020-2021.
Prisons in Ogdensburg and Gouverneur appear to be safe from closure.
The announcement to close Watertown Correctional Facility, Gowanda Correctional Facility, and the Annex at Clinton Correctional Facility will impact more than 900 NYSCOPBA positions, disrupt the family lives of thousands and devastate communities, NYSCOPBA said in a press release.
“Announcing closures just days before Christmas is not only highly inconsiderate but it also demonstrates a lack of respect for the hardworking men and women of NYSCOPBA and their families. Can Governor Cuomo look our members in the face and say that, despite prison violence at near record levels, closing prisons is what’s best and will produce a safer