Under a plan recently announced by Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon and
Onondaga County Sheriff Eugene Conway, the facility in Jamesville would be closed and all inmates and staff would be moved to the Onondaga County Justice Center in Downtown Syracuse.
“We are going to examine all aspects of the proposed closure” says Legislature Chairman James Rowley. “By going through the committee process, Legislators will be able to get all the information they need and have their questions answered, so they will be able to make the best decision possible.”
The proposal to close Jamesville Correctional Facility comes at a time when the inmate
population is around 50 despite being able to handle more than 500 at one time. At the same time, Onondaga County is facing a potential hefty lawsuit for failing to comply with the Hurrell-Harring Agreement, since staff shortages have made it impossible in many cases to get inmates from Jamesville to scheduled court appearances around the county.
“The best thing about this plan is that all current Jamesville employees will be offered similar jobs at the Onondaga County Justice Center” adds Chairman Rowley. “Since the two facilities are operated under different unions, we want to make sure all employees doing the same work are paid equally. That means most employees in Jamesville’s union will be getting a nearly $10,000 raise.”
Discussions surrounding the closure of Jamesville Correctional Facility have been underway for years, as it has been facing dwindling incarceration numbers and problems with staffing. The proposed lawsuit is what brought it to the forefront of the Legislature’s agenda.
Chairman Rowley adds, “The employees moving downtown will be getting pay increases,
staffing issues should be mostly resolved, and the closure of Jamesville Correctional Facility would save county taxpayers more than $5,000,000 a year. But, some concerns have been raised in the community, and so we want to take the necessary time to review whether closure is the best option and the committee process will allow us to do that.”
Committee meetings are scheduled throughout January and can be live-streamed at
Facebook.com/OnondagaCountyLegislature.