The Peru Gazette

From the office of Assemblyman Billy Jones

“The governor and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s decision not to close any prisons in the North Country is a huge victory for our communities and our regional economy. The men and women whose jobs were up in the air can breathe a sigh of relief today knowing that we stood up and fought to protect their jobs and won.

“When the governor proposed closing up to three prisons within the next year I made my objections to this plan known loud and clear. After the closures we’ve already seen over the past decade, further closures would mean even more jobs lost and families hurt. After seeing three prisons shut their doors and hundreds of hardworking men and women lose their jobs, we couldn’t let that happen again.[1]

“Speaking not only as a representative for North Country families, but as a former correction officer myself, I know how much our region would have stood to lose if more local prisons closed. It would have been a lose-lose situation, but together, we fought back and stood up for our officers. While this is an important win for our region, we will continue to work together to make our prisons safer so the individuals working in these facilities not only keep their jobs, but are also safe as they perform them.”