BELLEFONTE — Local officials reacted with shock and concern, citing potential impacts to the greater Centre County community, after the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections recommended closing Rockview state prison, the state’s second-oldest correctional facility, earlier this week.

On Monday, the Department of Corrections (DOC) Steering Committee recommended closing the State Correctional Institution at Rockview, nearby Quehanna Boot Camp in Clearfield County and two Community Corrections Centers in Berks and Greene counties as a cost-saving measure, Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro’s administration announced.

Shapiro’s 2025-2026 budget proposal, introduced last week, called for the closure of two state prisons and two Community Corrections Centers, though it did not specify at the time which facilities were under consideration. The administration projects the move would save the state $10 million over the next year and $100 million in the long term, but many are skeptical of the plan.

SCI Rockview, the largest of the four institutions slated for potential closure, houses approximately 2,148 inmates out of a maximum capacity of 2,541 and employs 658 Pennsylvanians from Centre County and its neighbors.

Built in 1915, the century-old facility requires $74 million in upgrades over the next five years, according to the DOC Steering Committee.

The Steering Committee’s decision to recommend Rockview’s closure was based on a number of variables, namely, the “ability to reassign staff displaced by the closure, physical plant capabilities and needs, and the ability to efficiently relocate the inmate population and meet their service needs,” wrote Special Assistant David Radziewicz in the letter of recommendation.

During their assessment, the complex’s overall building condition was rated as “fair,” with major systems — including stormwater, potable water, sanitary sewer, electrical and heating — exceeding 50 years in age. Built decades before the Americans with Disabilities Act, the facility also lacks adequate wheelchair accessibility and has limited cells designed for individuals with disabilities.

“The facility is ill-equipped to manage the aging population trends observed during the last quarter century,” the committee said.

Necessary improvements to the state correctional institution include replacing or renovating the roofs, waterlines, showering facilities, a boiler system and exterior structures. Additionally, both the main road inside the facility and the perimeter road require repairs and repaving, the Steering Committee said in their letter of recommendation to Dr. Laurel R. Harry, the Pa. Secretary of Corrections.

“Estimated mothballing costs are higher than most facilities at $2,525,548 in fiscal year 25-26; however, that amount is a significant trade-off in comparison to the $74M in essential upgrades,” Radziewicz added.

The DOC has approved the report’s recommendations and will now enter a legally mandated three-month period during which community members can submit feedback before a final decision is made.

Monday’s announcement caught many officials off guard, and they are still evaluating the potential impact of Rockview State Prison’s closure on their districts.

State Rep. Paul Takac, D-Centre, whose Pa. House District includes SCI Rockview, said in a statement, “I am deeply surprised and concerned by the proposal from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections to close both the State Correctional Institution Rockview and the Quehanna Boot Camp. Together, these facilities employ nearly 900 of our neighbors across Centre and Clearfield counties and beyond with good paying, union-supported jobs.”

A member of the Rural Population and Revitalization Commission, Takac said he is well aware of the potential long-term economic impact of job losses, especially in rural communities.

“The closure of these facilities could have significant negative impacts on not only the employees and their families, but our communities and local economy as a whole,” he said.

Takac noted his office has been in close contact with the governor’s team, other elected officials and community and business leaders to learn more about what comes next.

He added that the 2018 Public Safety Facilities Act, which outlines a process for the closure of public safety facilities, is very clear on the timeline and process needed to make a final decision to close facilities like Quehanna and Rockview, requiring impact studies, protection for employees, public input from the communities affected and developing strategies that mitigate the impact of the closures on the local economy.

“I am going to make sure these provisions are followed to the letter, so everyone is informed and the administration lives up to its responsibilities,” Takac said.

The call for implementing the Public Safety Facilities Act was echoed by the Centre County Board of Commissioners, who also expressed surprise at the announcement and discussed their plans for moving forward during Tuesday’s weekly board meeting.

Commissioner Chair Mark Higgins said the board will appeal to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and the governor to keep the facilities open.

“Our role as Centre County’s government, would be to ensure that we are studying and doing everything we can to mitigate the impact on our community,” County Commissioner Amber Concepcion said. “From my perspective, the significant concern is the 658 full time jobs that are there at Rockview and the impact on our community with the potential loss of those jobs from there.”

In a news release, Secretary of Corrections Laurel R. Harry confirmed that, if the closure proceeds, all 658 current employees at the medium-security prison will be offered positions at other state correctional facilities within a 67-mile radius, maintaining their current pay and job classification.

The Steering Committee identified four facilities within a 67-mile radius where employees may most conveniently relocate. Those facilities include SCI Benner Township (on the same grounds), SCI Houtzdale (41 miles), SCI Smithfield and SCI Huntingdon (both 38 miles) and SCI Muncy (67 miles).

“The specialized units that are on-grounds and supported by the facility, such as, but not limited to the Forestry Camp, Continuity of Government/Execution Complex (the only in the state), Warehouse and Security Processing Center, could be supported by SCI Benner Township, which shares the same grounds as SCI Rockview,” the Steering committee said.

In their letter of recommendation, the DOC suggested that “the redeployment of Rockview’s staff has the potential to positively impact overtime demands at each of these locations.”

According to the committee, there are currently 88 vacancies across these prisons. Additionally, among the five most likely relocation facilities, 518 staff members are already eligible for retirement, with another 95 set to become eligible during the closure process, if approved. At Rockview alone, 138 staff members are or will be eligible for retirement by the time the facility closes — a process the committee suggested could take several years.

“Reallocating these staff through a closure has the potential to fill critical anticipated vacancies with experienced staff and save onboarding/training costs associated with new hires,” the Steering Committee said.

Commissioner Higgins stated that, regardless of the decision, the closure would impact hundreds of families in Centre and surrounding counties, not only within the prison system but also among local businesses that rely on purchases from the facility, including construction companies, repair services and food providers.

“The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and the governor need to listen to the employees, their families and local citizens regarding concerns about the harms that these closures create,” he said.

Communications Director for Republican Representative Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15) Kelsey Holt echoed the sentiments made by other officials, explaining, “The Congressman’s Office is reaching out to the Pa. Department of Corrections to receive more information on the announcement. There needs to be some fact-finding on economic impact, local jobs and what the announcement means for our communities.”

The proposal was also met with pushback from John Eckenrode, President of the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association, who accused the Pa. DOC of orchestrating a “dog-and-pony show” and creating unnecessary panic across 24 prisons and 10 CCC communities by initially withholding the names of the targeted facilities. He also criticized the plan for increasing capacity at remaining state prisons, noting that overcrowding has long been linked to heightened violence.

Currently, the state’s prisons are at 82 percent capacity. According to Eckenrode, in 2019, when violence was “some of the worst (he’s) seen in a quarter century of service,” much of the issue was due to 21 of 25 prisons being over 90 percent capacity, including 11 which were over 100 percent. Last year, he said, half of all prisons were over 90 percent capacity and only four were completely full.

Commissioner Steve Dershem expressed concern that it might be shortsighted to remove such a significant amount of prison capacity from the state’s inventory, especially since the downward trend in incarceration is not guaranteed to continue in the future.

“Saving money at the expense of the safety of our members is too high a price to pay,” Eckenrode said. “Closing these facilities will create potential powder kegs of trouble that many of us thought were a relic of the past.”

The Steering Committee’s report indicated that 82 percent of the prison population fall into Custody Levels 2 or 3, “meaning that the vast majority of the population could be relocated to any male facility.”

Janet Irons, a volunteer with the Pennsylvania Prison Society, emphasized the organization’s deep familiarity with SCI Rockview, noting that its members — part of the nation’s oldest prison advocacy group — have been visiting the facility for generations.

“I don’t know that there is anybody on the outside, other than the people who work there, that have as intimate an understanding of the conditions in that prison as we do,” Irons said during public comment at Tuesday’s Centre County Commissioners meeting, urging officials not to rush to judgment on the closure.

She acknowledged the instinctive opposition to shutting down institutions that employ large numbers of people but argued that there are compelling reasons to close Rockview. She cited declining incarceration rates; the potential to alleviate chronic staffing shortages, which previously led the state to lower the minimum employment age for correctional officers from 21 to 18; and the prison’s “atrocious and appalling” conditions.

The area’s elected officials, including Pa. State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, stated that they will closely monitor the situation to ensure the best possible outcome for all affected.

“I want to assure the families and communities potentially impacted by these recommendations that their voices are and will continue to be heard, and I will do everything I can for the best possible outcome for them and our entire region,” said Rep. Takac. “It is vital that we fully understand the consequences of this proposal on our local economy and community wellbeing.”

He added, “I have always believed that in every setback or challenge there is also opportunity. At this moment — while this news is still fresh — it is difficult to know what those might be, but rest assured that as this process plays out, I will do everything in my power to minimize any negative impacts and fight like hell to maximize all the resources and benefits available.”