ALBANY – Governor Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday the closure of seven prisons across New York, including the minimum security prison Camp Georgetown in Madison County.

According to Cuomo, closing these prisons will eliminate approximately 38,000 unused and unneeded beds and will save taxpayers $72 million this year and $112 million the next.

“The state’s prison system has been too inefficient and too costly,” said Cuomo. “[This plan] succeeds in targeting facilities for closure without compromising public safety.”

Despite assurances from the Governor’s office, a statement released by the New York State Public Employees Federation yesterday states that the closings “come at a time when staff reductions and crowded conditions have resulted in an increase in violence at these facilities.”