JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gov. Mike Parson says there will be no layoffs and no additional prisoner releases as part of a northwest Missouri prison consolidation.
Parson plans to close Crossroads Correctional Center in Cameron, although on Friday he said he wants to keep it available in case it’s later needed. Prisoners and staff would be transferred to Western Missouri Correctional Center, which is also in Cameron.
Corrections Director Anne Precythe says it will cost about $3 million to retrofit Western Missouri Correctional Center for maximum-security prisoners.
Budget officials say the consolidation is expected to save $15 million. That would partly fund what Precythe described as the biggest pay raise in agency history.
On top of a 3 percent raise for state workers, corrections staff would get a 1 percent raise every two years.
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(Missourinet and Post staff) – Missouri’s governor is scheduled to announce details on Friday about his plan to consolidate two prisons in Cameron.
Governor Mike Parson (R) wants to close the maximum-security Crossroads Correctional Center and consolidate it with Western Missouri Correctional Center, which is down the street.
“I think some of the biggest concerns was over safety and security in those facilities and we know that we’re way short on correction officers,” Parson said. “So we’re trying to figure out ways to solve some of these problems, so really to consolidate those two is probably just a business decision that we thought was the best thing to do.”
Governor Parson met Thursday with Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC) leaders and officials from the two prisons to ensure a smooth transition. The governor says the plan would ensure safety and improve security, without layoffs.
Parson also says the plan would provide corrections officers with a “much needed pay raise.”
State Sen. Dan Hegeman, R-Cosby, who chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, also participated in the meeting. The prison plan would require legislative approval, and the two prisons are in Hegeman’s district.
House Minority Whip Brandon Ellington, D-Kansas City, praised the Republican governor for paying attention to the issues at Crossroads, adding that he wants to see Parson’s plan.
“Since I’ve been here (he was elected to the House in 2011) we’ve had Democrat and Republican governors that showed little to no concern about it and I’m actually, again, elated that we have a governor that’s making it his top priority right now,” Ellington says.
Ellington has been raising concerns about Crossroads for several years, and invited families of inmates to speak to lawmakers in a House hearing room during the September veto session. The room was packed.
“The Crossroads facility has been allowed to fester all types of federal violations, from legal mail being locked down, etc.,” says Ellington.
The prisons are two of the largest employers in Cameron, which has about 10,000 residents. Parson, who will brief Capitol reporters at 9 a.m. Friday in Jefferson City, says his proposal will address corrections officer staffing shortages in Cameron.
DOC Director Anne Precythe says the $20 million cost savings would give corrections officers the largest pay increase in state history.
Governor Parson received one of the loudest standing ovations during this week’s State of the State Address when he told lawmakers that he’s not interested in building more prisons.
House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, says Democrats support the GOP governor’s emphasis on criminal justice reform and alternative sentencing.
“We’ve been fighting for these issues for a very long time, and trying to bring them to the public spotlight for a very long time,” Quade says.
The governor is also emphasizing the importance of re-entry programs. More than 90 percent of Missouri’s incarcerated prisoners will be released, at some point.