ALLOUEZ (NBC 26) — "We have a governor, we have a secretary of corrections, and we have our state legislators all agreeing that [Green Bay Correctional Institution] needs to be closed," Allouez Village President Jim Rafter said at the start of Thursday's special meeting. It gave neighbors an opportunity to share why they want to see the prison closed.
NBC 26 was at the meeting to listen to what Allouez residents and legislators had to say. Get an inside look in the broadcast story below:
"How much does it cost Allouez a year to keep that prison open? And is it funded by the state?" one resident asked during the meeting.
"I was locked up in there for a very long time," another attendee said Thursday night. "I have since become a very productive member of society. But I didn't get it from there."
Representative Ben Franklin said much of the process involving closing the prison falls on the Joint Finance Committee to determine funding.
"The Joint Finance Committee has a very difficult job to do right now. They are burning the midnight oil, they're working weekends, and they are working hard trying to make sure that they can do what needs to be done," Franklin said.
Senator Jamie Wall said closing the Green Bay Correctional Institution requires changes to other facilities first.
"The first domino then would be changing Lincoln Hills from a juvenile facility to an adult medium facility," the senator said. "The second domino is taking the Stanley Prison which is now a medium [security prison] and turning that into a maximum security prison."
But, Assemblyman David Steffen assured residents while immediate closure isn't likely, officials in Madison are working to keep this issue a priority.
"For 10 years, you have always been unified in your response, action, and activity related to this activity and that is rare. You don't find that in government," Steffen said.
For residents who couldn't attend Thursday's meeting but wish to get involved, the Village of Allouez website has a petition calling for the Green Bay Correctional Institution to be decommissioned.
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