Rural Economies Suffer Significant Setbacks Due to Prison Closures

Rural Economies Suffer Significant Setbacks Due to Prison Closures

IN A NUTSHELL:

Host MICHEL MARTIN dives into the far-reaching effects of the U.S.'s prison boom — and subsequent bust — on rural America, with a particular focus on New York. The surge in building came in the 1970s amid rising crime rates and the war on drugs. States like New York passed tough new drug laws, leading to a dramatic increase in prison populations. Many of those locked up were Black and brown men, who were shipped off to struggling rural communities that needed the economic boost prisons brought.

Tom Scozzafava, the former town supervisor of Moriah in the late '80s, recalls the positive impact the local prison had on his upstate community, where a few stores opened and new housing for correction officers sprouted up. Governor Mario Cuomo championed prisons as economic saviors for upstate, opening 30 new facilities throughout his tenure.

However, the prison population began to shrink in the mid-2000s, and states like New York, North Carolina, and Texas were hit hard. New York's governor at the time, Andrew Cuomo, and his successor, Kathy Hochul, have since closed more than two dozen prisons in an attempt to address staffing shortages and ease budgetary constraints.

In the face of prison closures and economic downturns, rural communities like Moriah must find new ways to prosper. The challenge lies in diversifying the economy and moving away from the dependency on prison systems that put them on the map in the first place.

As Matthew Brassard, the current town supervisor of Moriah, puts it, "Change is scary for a lot of people, including myself. But if we don't pivot into a different direction, we're just going to keep spiraling down, and eventually, we won't have any businesses."

This story illustrates the complex relationship between prisons, rural economies, and the communities they serve, demonstrating both the benefits and the pitfalls of the American prison boom and bust.

Fun Fact: Since the closure of Mid-Orange Correctional Facility, the site has been redeveloped into the Warwick Valley Office & Technology Corporate Park, with the aim of attracting businesses and diversifying the local economy.

1. The news of the redevelopment of the Mid-Orange Correctional Facility's site into the Warwick Valley Office & Technology Corporate Park brings hope for education-and-self-development opportunities in the community.
2. In light of the closing of several prisons, the sports facilities in these rural communities could potentially experience a decline due to the lack of funding and population.
3. As the weather grows colder in upstate New York, the community grapples with the need to foster new sources of revenue to replace the economic boost brought by prisons.
4. The shrinking prison population may demand a shift in the educational focus within the community, with calculus and other academic subjects becoming more prevalent to spur intellectual growth.
5. In the same community where sports and social interaction once thrived around prisons, a new sense of unity is forming around the efforts towards economic development and self-sustainability.

Read also: