HIV Programs Cut From Mass. County Jails

BOSTON — A new concern has hit those in Massachusetts’ county jails. The state has recently eliminated more than $1 million for HIV testing and education in county jails.

“I’m very concerned,” said Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson. “Our clientele are people who are in for a much shorter amount of time. They’re going to be going back into the community. We want them to be tested for HIV because they need to be aware if they have it, and number two, how to manage it.”

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California Report: Budget Woes Affect Corrections

On January 10, Governor Brown released his 2011-12 state budget proposal. California is projected to face a budget gap of $25.4 billion in 2011-12. This gap is made up of a current-year shortfall of $8.2 billion and a budget-year shortfall of $17.2 billion. The Budget includes $26.4 billion in spending cuts, revenues and other solutions to balance the budget this year and into the future, and to provide for a reserve.

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Historic Washington Prison to Close

McNEIL ISLAND, Wash. — The historic McNeil Island Corrections Center in Washington will close next April due to budget cuts.

The island prison will transfer its 515 offenders to other prisons in the state, according to reports. The Washington Department of Corrections announced it would work to find jobs elsewhere for its 245 staff members.

State lawmakers say the DOC has must also reduce its budget by nearly $53 million. Full closure of the McNeil Island prison is expected to save the agency $6.3 million a year.

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Cuts Leave Michigan Prison Towers Unmanned

LANSING, Mich. — State cutbacks have left many of Michigan’s prison towers unmanned as improved technology and shrinking budgets make them as obsolete.

The Mound Correctional Facility and Ryan Correctional Facility, both in Detroit, became the last of the state’s 34 prisons this past summer to end around-the-clock tower guard duty. While armed officers watch prisoners move around the facilities, the towers are no longer the prisons’ main line of defense against escapes, according to a Michigan Department of Corrections official.

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