The Executive Budget proposes closing four Department of Correctional Services (DOCS) facilities: Hudson Correctional, Camp Gabriels, Camp Pharsalia, and Camp Mt. McGregor. Aside from the devastating blow to workers, their families, and their communities that this proposal represents, it is simply bad policy.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

As you are aware, the Executive Budget proposes to close the Hudson, Camp Pharsalia, Camp Gabriels, & Camp Mt. McGregor correctional facilities operated by the Department of Correctional Services (DOCS).

The New York State Senate has restored the funding for these facilities in its one house budget resolution. I urge you to work to insure that as the budget conference committees meet to negotiate the final budget that the funds for keeping these facilities open remain as part of the budget.

These facilities provide a valuable resource to the state as "step down" facilities that allow inmates to effectively transition into their communities as they serve their sentence.

If the budget restorations for these facilities are not maintained, these closures will not only affect the ability of inmates to transition into our communities, it will have a serious negative impact on workers, their families and their communities. Many local economies rely on the employment and business the facilities generate.

I ask you to help keep these facilities open and make sure that the budget restorations included in the Senate's budget resolution remain in the final state budget.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
February 25, 2008