August 1, 2011
More on plan to convert VSPW to men’s prison
Valley State Prison for Women could soon become a state prison for about 2,000 men. A prison realignment, effective in two months, will decrease the number of female prisoners and close one of the state's three facilities. Monday, representatives from California Department of Corrections met with Madera County and Chowchilla City leaders for the first time.
“The bottom line is we need factual data to look at to see what the impact of exchanging a men's facility for a women's facility will be,” said Jay Varney, Chowchilla Police Chief, who’s one of many opposed to the change. Their research shows families of male prisoners move into the communities where they're serving time. Varney is concerned the extra people could stretch the department too thin...
LINK - CBS47.tv
