Correctional Officers Applaud Jefferson County Resolution Against Prison Closure

(MONTICELLO, Fla.) — Local correctional officers hailed the Jefferson County Board for passing a resolution tonight asking that the Jefferson Correctional Institution remain open. Closure of the facility – the largest local employer -- would ruin the Jefferson County economy and uproot longtime residents.

The Florida Department of Corrections recently announced its intention to close the Jefferson Correctional Institution by April 1, 2012, without any input from lawmakers, local elected officials, economic development representatives, community leaders, business owner, or citizens.

“All of us who work here put our lives at risk every day,” said Barry Graham, a sergeant at Jefferson C.I. “Closing the facility puts my career at risk and my whole way of life at risk. I want to thank the County Board for standing up to this sneak attack against the hardworking families of this community.”

The county board’s resolution stated that closing Jefferson Correctional Institution would cause significant damage. “The loss of jobs and the impact on the local economy and community will be substantial, estimated to have a $19 million impact on local economic activity and uprooting longtime residents who must move elsewhere to find new jobs,” the resolution read.

Bobbi Carroll, a Jefferson correctional officer, said, “Closing Jefferson will cost me my job. I have ties to this community and I can’t afford to move somewhere else in Florida. It just breaks my heart to think how this will destroy our way of life.”

The County Board stated that the decision to close the facility failed to recognize that Jefferson C.I. performs unique services. The resolutions states, “the Jefferson Correctional Institution has significant unrecognized “Special Attributes” in that (1) it is the state’s largest “Psyche 3” unit and the “go to” unit for prisoners on psychotropic drugs, and (2) in spite of its high risk inmates, it is the only state prison facility to have never called out a rapid response team, a tribute to the unique staff culture at Jefferson Correctional.”

“Rural Florida has suffered enough in this recession, and the last thing the state should do is to cause more pain by rushing to close its correctional facilities,” said Ken Wood, Acting President of Teamster Local 2011, which represents 20,000 Florida Department of Corrections officers. 

The plans include closures of the New River Correctional in Raiford, Jefferson Correctional in Monticello, Demilly Correctional Institute in Polk City, Gainesville C.I., Indian River C.I. in Vero Beach, and the women’s prisons Broward C.I. in Fort Lauderdale and Hillsborough C.I. in Riverview near Tampa.

The department also plans to close work camps in Gadsden, Washington and Hendry counties and the Levy forestry camp.

For more information, visit http://fdocteamsters.org. 

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. For more information, go to www.teamster.org or follow us on Twitter @TeamsterPower.  

Read the resolution here.