Six states closed 20 prison facilities or may do so this year, potentially reducing prison capacity by 14,100 beds and resulting in an estimated $337 million in savings, says a new report from The Sentencing Project, an advocacy group that seeks to reduce incarceration. Florida led the U.S., closing 10 facilities; the estimated cost savings is about $65 million.
Last year, at least 13 states reported prison closures and reduced prison capacity by an estimated 15,500 beds. The report says that an examination of projected budgets for fiscal year 2013 indicates that at least 12 states are planning to decrease correctional expenditures, with prison closures being one mechanism to do so.