Post by CC on Oct 31, 2009 5:41:18 GMT -5
Michigan to Close Prison Considered for Gitmo Detainees
A state prison in Michigan that is being considered as a potential location for holding terror detainees from Guantanamo Bay is expected to close Saturday, a state Department of corrections spokesman said. The 600-bed maximum-security prison is a victim of the state's financial troubles.
The closure of the Standish prison will eliminate 340 jobs. Residents and politicians in Standish, a town of 1,600 near the coast along Saginaw Bay, first embraced the possibility of housing Guantanamo detainees before cooling to the idea. But a number of local and county officials continue to be in favor of the move.
President Barack Obama committed earlier this year to closing the prison at Guantanamo, but it isn't clear where all the detainees will go. An administration official said in an email Thursday that a decision on the matter would be made in the "coming weeks," one of the first clear indications the White House is close to a decision.
Federal officials toured Standish in April to assess its suitability to house Guantanamo detainees. A military penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., was also among sites considered.
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat, had expressed concerns about taking the detainees, saying she would need assurances from the White House that moving terrorist suspects to Michigan wouldn't pose a risk to the state.
Ms. Granholm had hoped to keep the Standish prison open by offering space there to a state in need of additional capacity, and Michigan kept the prison open months longer than expected with this in mind.
Michigan is one of six states Pennsylvania is considering to help with overcrowding in its prisons. Pennsylvania is considering relocating as many as 1,500 inmates out of state.
"Quite frankly…we are still hopeful that we'll be able to find another use for that facility," said Liz Boyd, a spokeswoman for Ms. Granholm, this week. "The bottom line is we have a budget to handle."
The state has closed more than a half-dozen prisons this year alone. The move is part of an effort to slash roughly $100 million from its prison budget and help the state address a multibillion-dollar budget deficit. The last prisoners were moved out of the facility Wednesday, a state Department of Corrections spokesman said.
Rep. Pete Hoekstra, a Republican and a candidate for governor in next year's election, is in favor of bringing prisoners from other states but is opposed to Guantanamo detainees being housed in the state.
"It'll be a danger," he said Thursday. Standish "will become a potential target."
A state prison in Michigan that is being considered as a potential location for holding terror detainees from Guantanamo Bay is expected to close Saturday, a state Department of corrections spokesman said. The 600-bed maximum-security prison is a victim of the state's financial troubles.
The closure of the Standish prison will eliminate 340 jobs. Residents and politicians in Standish, a town of 1,600 near the coast along Saginaw Bay, first embraced the possibility of housing Guantanamo detainees before cooling to the idea. But a number of local and county officials continue to be in favor of the move.
President Barack Obama committed earlier this year to closing the prison at Guantanamo, but it isn't clear where all the detainees will go. An administration official said in an email Thursday that a decision on the matter would be made in the "coming weeks," one of the first clear indications the White House is close to a decision.
Federal officials toured Standish in April to assess its suitability to house Guantanamo detainees. A military penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., was also among sites considered.
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat, had expressed concerns about taking the detainees, saying she would need assurances from the White House that moving terrorist suspects to Michigan wouldn't pose a risk to the state.
Ms. Granholm had hoped to keep the Standish prison open by offering space there to a state in need of additional capacity, and Michigan kept the prison open months longer than expected with this in mind.
Michigan is one of six states Pennsylvania is considering to help with overcrowding in its prisons. Pennsylvania is considering relocating as many as 1,500 inmates out of state.
"Quite frankly…we are still hopeful that we'll be able to find another use for that facility," said Liz Boyd, a spokeswoman for Ms. Granholm, this week. "The bottom line is we have a budget to handle."
The state has closed more than a half-dozen prisons this year alone. The move is part of an effort to slash roughly $100 million from its prison budget and help the state address a multibillion-dollar budget deficit. The last prisoners were moved out of the facility Wednesday, a state Department of Corrections spokesman said.
Rep. Pete Hoekstra, a Republican and a candidate for governor in next year's election, is in favor of bringing prisoners from other states but is opposed to Guantanamo detainees being housed in the state.
"It'll be a danger," he said Thursday. Standish "will become a potential target."