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| Vermont prison shuffle under way |
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ST. ALBANS. — Renovations that will transform the Northwest State Correctional Facility into a prison for women are under way.
Some of the 240 male inmates have already left and construction crews are working in the prison to make it ready to house females. The first women are due to arrive in January. Eventually, the state's entire population of female inmates will be transferred to St. Albans, the men dispersed to other facilities with some being sent out of state. "This is one of the biggest changes in decades for this department," said Corrections Commissioner Rob Hofmann. "There will inevitably be bumps in the road." The changes are an attempt by the Legislature to rein in the rate of growth of the Corrections budget. Much of the $2.5 million in work being done on Northwest State is needed to update the 30-year-old prison. The costs savings will begin in 2010. The plan is to save several million dollars a year by making more efficient use of prison space and diverting more nonviolent prisoners to transitional housing, electronic monitoring and treatment programs. "In the face of spiraling Corrections costs, I believe the Legislature selected the best of bad options," Hofmann said. Vermont's two existing women's prison in Windsor and Waterbury are small and cost more per inmate to operate. The Dale prison in Waterbury will be closed while the Windsor prison will be converted into a work camp. There are more programs available at Northwest State, once considered to be Vermont's most secure prison. The female inmates will be able to participate in more programs and there are larger gardens and more exercise facilities.  Add as favourites (193) |  Quote this article on your site | Views: 818
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