Video: Fighting to save a North Country prison
Community leaders met this week in Chateaugay to begin their fight to save the state correctional facility. Photo: Brian Mann
Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York’s Corrections Department have slated Chateaugay Correctional Facility to close next year. That will cost the small rural community in northern Franklin County at least 110 jobs.
Town leaders and activists, including current and former prison employees, are rallying to try to convinced state officials to change their minds.
They met yesterday afternoon to plan, distribute yard signs, and develop a letter-writing campaign. They plan to hold a big rally next month.
Brian Mann interviewed Brenda Brue, a nurse at the correctional facility. Brue says the closure will change her life and cripple her town.
not sympathetic. she’s a nurse, go get a job at a hospital.
it’s a shame it will be so inconvenient for her to travel further, take unpopular shifts, not be able to take her vacations…
please.
Its interesting.
Whenever you cut anything, real people are impacted. The state has to decide why we have correctional facilities, are they employment programs for poor rural areas or are they needed prisons or a combination of both and which side should have the greatest influence? Part of the government spending which we do hear a lot about the importance of is creating jobs and providing a safety net, that is what these prisons do, that is what government stimulus spending is about.
For me living up here I would favor all direct government spending coming our way. I think its too bad that decisions were made long ago to really base our economy on these infusions of government money, we would likely be better off today without so much dependence on prisons. However what is done is done, at this point closing them would be very bad for anyone who lives, works, pays taxes or owns property in the North Country.