Statement by Senator Griffo on Prison Reduction Plan
Senator Joseph A. Griffo (R-C-IP, Rome) today issued this statement in response to the Administration’s announcement of the Governor’s prison reduction plan.
“I am disappointed with the decision of the planned closure of the Oneida Correctional Facility; while the facility is not specifically in my Senate district, I care about and have great concern of the impact to the community where I live. We will be requesting information that went into the final determination so that all of us can understand how this achieves the economies of scale identified. A coordinated, collective, hard-fought effort made very telling points regarding the Oneida County facilities to the Governor and his staff. I believe a solid case was made on merit to retain them. The Governor has, and has always had, the authority to make the decision that he has released today. Because the authority to take this action is with the Executive Branch, my commitment now is to work with the Governor, his senior staff, and the Departments of Corrections and Economic Development to do everything possible to keep the jobs that are currently at the Oneida facility within our region and to ensure that our community has all possible support and assistance in developing a re-use plan for the facility and an economic transition plan for the region. There will be a meeting held sometime next week among state and local area officials to discuss and coordinate the next steps.”
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