What to know about the plan to close 2 Pennsylvania prisons

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget proposal isn’t short on ideas. The Democratic governor’s spending plan has drawn attention for a number of its features, including its $51.5 billion price tag, its calls to legalize and regulate recreational cannabis and skill-based video gaming machines, and Shapiro’s desire to speed up a corporate tax cut that was set in motion back in 2022. 

State lawmakers will review the governor’s budget in its entirety during their annual budget hearings over the coming weeks, but one aspect of Shapiro’s plan that is already receiving scrutiny is his administration’s push to cut costs by closing two state prisons and two state-run community corrections centers – a move the administration says could save the state more than $100 million over the next few years.

Below, City & State takes a look at what is driving the push to close two state prisons, the cost savings that could result from the closures and the pushback from local lawmakers and a corrections officers’ union.  

What prisons are slated to close?

The two state correctional institutions recommended for closure by the state Department of Corrections’ steering committee are SCI Rockview in Centre County and Quehanna Boot Camp in Clearfield County.

SCI Rockview, which is located south of Bellefonte, was built in 1915 and is the Department of Corrections’ second-oldest building. The department said it would require $74 million in upgrades over the next five years if kept open. It housed 2,148 inmates as of January 2025 and employs approximately 658 people. Quehanna Boot Camp – a six-month, military-style program designed for those with drug and alcohol treatment needs – is located in Karthaus. The facility currently employs around 234 people and houses 348 total inmates as of January 2025.

The department is also recommending that two state-run community corrections centers – Wernersville CCC in Berks County and Progress CCC in Greene County – close their doors. 

In a memo to Corrections Secretary Laurel Harry, Department of Corrections Special Assistant David Radziewicz wrote that in the face of an increasing corrections officer vacancy rate and a shrinking inmate population, closing the two state correctional institutions can save the state millions of dollars while improving efficiencies at the department. 

According to the prison closure proposal, the Department of Corrections institutional population has dropped by 2,829 inmates since the closure of Luzerne County’s SCI Retreat in 2020; as of December 2024, just 82.2% of the department’s 46,500 institutional beds were filled. Radziewicz added that the department deals with corrections officer vacancies by having existing officers work overtime: “Over the last two full fiscal years, more than 1.36M hours of overtime were necessary to fill vacant positions at a cost of more than $70.5M,” Radziewicz wrote, adding that the amount of overtime needed across 24 facilities “continues to overtax staff and likely contributes to the elevated turnover and washout rates observed.”

“Because operational efficiencies increase as capacity percentage increases, the Department can reduce staffing strains, overtime costs, and operational inefficiencies, while also maintaining the security and safety of staff and inmates by consolidating its population into fewer facilities,” Radziewicz wrote.

How much would the state save by closing two prisons? 

The state Department of Corrections estimates that the closures, if approved, will save the state $10 million in the 2025-26 fiscal year, with the savings surpassing $120 million in the 2026-27 fiscal year. 

The closures would also allow the state to avoid $74 million in necessary maintenance costs at SCI Rockview and $5.7 million in near-term maintenance costs at Quehanna Boot Camp, according to the closure proposal. 

A mixed reaction

The closure recommendations immediately prompted pushback from the head of the statewide corrections officers’ union, as well as lawmakers who represent Centre and Clinton counties. 

Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association President John Eckenrode likened the proposed closures and the subsequent review process to a “dog-and-pony show.”

“As we said last week, the department was conducting a dog-and-pony show because they already knew what facilities they wanted to close. Instead, they tried to hide it by creating a so-called ‘DOC Steering Committee’ and hiring an out-of-state consultant to recommend which prisons to close. In doing so, they created widespread panic among 24 prisons and 10 CCC communities,” Eckenrode said this week in a statement. “The men and women who work in Pennsylvania’s state prisons work daily with the most dangerous people in this commonwealth. They have been brutally assaulted, beaten, stabbed. Our members are remarkable public servants who deserve better than to be treated like this. So much better.” 

Eckenrode called the decision to shutter the facilities a misguided one that will “devastate” the families of PSCOA members. “Saving money at the expense of the safety of our members is too high a price to pay. In 2019, violence in our state prisons was some of the worst I’ve seen in a quarter century of service,” he added. “Lessons learned from 2019 now are being forgotten. Closing these facilities will create potential powder kegs of trouble that many of us thought were a relic of the past.”

Harry, in a statement, said the department recognizes the impact the closures could have on staff at state prisons, and pledged that affected Department of Corrections staff will receive guaranteed job offers. “I know these decisions have a direct impact on our staff and supporting them through this process is a top priority,” she said. “Every single affected staff member will be guaranteed an offer of a job at their existing pay and classification.” 

The proposal also drew criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. In a statement, Republican state Sen. Wayne Langerholc called the plan shortsighted, adding that it would “cripple” local economies. “I stand in full opposition to this proposal and will utilize all available resources to ensure it does not occur. Corrections is a core governmental service,” he said. “Besides ensuring the community’s safety, these facilities provide stable, family-sustaining jobs that are essential to our local economy.” 

The proposed closures also irked Democratic state Rep. Paul Takac, who said in a statement that he was surprised and concerned by the recommendation. “Together, these facilities employ nearly 900 of our neighbors across Centre and Clearfield counties and beyond with good paying, union-supported jobs,” he said. “The closure of these facilities could have significant negative impacts on not only the employees and their families, but our communities and local economy as a whole.”

What’s next

The closure recommendation kickstarts a review process that will allow the public to weigh in on the potential closures, which can be done by phone and email. 

The department will also be scheduling public hearings in Centre and Clearfield counties to discuss the closures and take feedback from the public. 

“I will carefully consider the committee’s recommendations and stakeholder feedback in the coming months,” Harry added in her statement. “My team and I will conduct the process in a manner that is transparent and considerate of everyone impacted, including staff, the incarcerated population, and their loved ones, and the communities of Centre, Clearfield, and surrounding counties.”