The announcement came as part of the Governor’s 2025-2026 budget proposal.

In budget documents, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro proposed closing two prisons in the Commonwealth. The goal is to save the state $100 million per year, while also saving $10 million by closing two community corrections centers. 

Shapiro’s administration cited falling incarceration rates across the state as the reason the closures are possible, and the proposal has evoked mixed reactions from different stakeholders.

The prison guards’ union has come out strongly against the proposed closures, with the Department of Corrections maintaining that impacted employees will be able to keep a job with the same pay. 

Advocates for prisoners think the closures could improve prison life for incarcerated individuals if executed properly. 

Pennsylvania lawmakers representing districts that have prisons have expressed concern about the economic impacts such closures could bring. 

Claire Shubik-Richards, executive director of the Pennsylvania Prison Society, a nonprofit that offers support for incarcerated Pennsylvanians and their families, approves of the proposed closures. She said, “Anything depends on how it’s executed.”

She continued, “Most states, including Pennsylvania, have seen the footprint of their state prison population shrink. So, this is really, I would say, belatedly keeping with a national trend.”

In Pennsylvania, the state’s 23 prisons collectively operated at about 100% capacity before the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent Department of Corrections monthly report shows the state’s prisons are currently at just over 82% capacity. 

Jill McCorkel, professor of criminology and sociology at Villanova University, says this decrease comes from releases during the pandemic and a bipartisan trend of support for legislation that rolls back drug policies that increased incarceration rates from the late 2000s and 2010s. 

The Pennsylvania State Correction Officers Association opposed the plan, citing concerns over staff and inmate safety. 

PSCOA president John Eckenrode said, “Closing these jails will create potential powder kegs of trouble that many of us thought were a relic of the past.” He also expressed concern that closing the prisons could force employees to choose between finding a new job, having a long commute, or relocating entirely. 

He said, “Some of these people are very involved in their communities. We have people who are volunteer firefighters, people who coach youth sports. We’re completely upsetting lives. I realize their reason is saving money, but at what cost?”

Act 133 of 2018 requires that the public be involved in the closure of state prisons. One public hearing has to be held in the county where the facility that is proposed to be closed is located. 

Republican State Senator Lisa Baker of the Judiciary Committee said the process to close a prison will take around four months. 

She recalled when a facility was closed in her district a few years ago. “Many of the workers had a more than 60 mile commute to a new facility. The department thought they would realize a large savings. At that time, $40 million, but if you look at the bottom line of the Department of Corrections budget, we never realized that level of savings.”

The Department of Corrections released a report this week recommending the closure of Rockview Prison in Centre County and Quehanna Boot Camp in Clearfield County. Collectively, the two facilities employ nearly 900 full-time staff and hold over 2,500 inmates. 

SCI Rockview is where the state currently executes prisoners on death row that are housed in other prisons. The report says the “execution center” could be moved to SCI Brenner Township, which is located on the same grounds. 

The report also recommends closing two community corrections centers in Berks and Greene Counties. The centers are residential-style facilities for inmates transitioning back to public life. 

The report was authored by a “steering committee”. Secretary of Corrections Laurel Harry said, “I will carefully consider the committee’s recommendations and stakeholder feedback in the coming months. 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.”

Department of Corrections press secretary Maria Bivens said, “The closure has been and will continue to be conducted transparently and in accordance with Act 133 of 2018. The DOC will gather feedback from stakeholders for a minimum of three months before making a final decision.”

Lawmakers representing Clearfield County have opposed the plan. Representative Dallas Kephart, Representative Mike Armanini, and Senator Wayne Langerholc released statements on Monday warning of the impact the closures would have on the communities.