A state prison in Livingston County will be closing later this year, affecting hundreds of staff and inmates.
The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision says that the Livingston Correctional Facility, which is a medium-security prison in the Town of Groveland, will close, along with another state prison in New York City.
The prison closures were talked about when the state passed a new budget several weeks ago. A statement from the Dept. of Corrections says that closing the two prisons will eliminate about 1,200 vacant beds without impacting the safety and security of the 52 remaining prisons.
The prison closing in Livingston County has more than 800 inmates; it also employs 327 staffers.
David LeFeber is Chairman of the Livingston County Board of Supervisors. He says the prison closure will have an economic impact.
“Jobs are very important to us in Livingston County and these were jobs that were well paying and jobs, which the individuals spent money; some of the folks do live here in our county and they spend dollars at businesses and help sales tax,” LeFeber told WXXI News.
The state says that the affected employees will be provided with a variety of options to transfer to other facilities or state agencies.
The Livingston Correctional Facility is expected to close by early September. The nearby Groveland Correctional Facility will remain open.
