Photo: Razor wire surrounds the perimeter fencing at the former Arthur Kill Correctional Facility, Tuesday, May 11, 2021, in the Staten Island borough of New York. The facility was purchased by Broadway Stages in 2017 and has been transformed into a film and television studio. Much of the prison was preserved as a set, lending authenticity to scenes in productions. Five other sound stages are being built on the 69-acre site, giving production companies the ability to shoot entire projects. Credit: AP Photo/John Minchillo. Video: AP

Society USA16. June 2021

Fewer Prisons, More Shelters and Training Centers

Since the crime rate is declining and alternatives to jail time for nonviolent offenses – like drug crimes – are rising across the United States, prisons are shutting down and being repurposed to better serve the communities.

“Given the dropping crime rates, COVID, and state budget crises, there have been discussions to close prisons in several states,” says Nicole Porter, the director of advocacy for the nonprofit Sentencing Project which tracks prison closures.

Since 2009, the percentage of inmates has dropped 17%. In Connecticut only, out of the three prisons that have already been closed,  two have been repurposed (one for document storage, the other for correction officers’ training). Three more are set to close soon. Between 2011 and 2016, 94 state prisons and juvenile facilities have closed. Some have been turned into homeless shelters, others centers for troubled teens… and even one that was transformed into a movie studio.

Source:
Associated Press

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