BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts plans to close MCI Concord, the state's oldest men's prison, as the state's prison population continues to decline.
Closing the medium-security facility, which opened in 1878, will save the state about $16 million a year, according to a $58 billion budget plan announced Wednesday by Gov. Maura Healey.
Trump opponents in Massachusetts lose attempt to remove former president from vote
“This also reflects the fact that our nation's prison population is declining, which is at its lowest level in 35 years,” Healy said. “It's also a question of justice.”
State Sen. Jamie Eldridge, Democratic co-chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, said the prison remains at about half capacity and would require major renovations if it remained open. The approximately 400 prisoners still at the facility will be transferred to other prisons.
Massachusetts plans to close MCI Concord Prison, which will save the state $16 million a year.
Eldridge said the prison could close as early as June and attributed the reduction in inmate numbers to part of the state's efforts to reduce recidivism.
“If a prison was ever to be closed in Massachusetts, MCI Concord was it,” he said.The idea was to decriminalize some misdemeanors and keep people away from the criminal justice system. He pointed to a 2018 law that expanded the provision.
The fiscal year 2025 budget Healey announced Wednesday includes several proposals that Democrats previewed in the State of the Union address earlier this month, including the staggering costs of housing and child care. These include reducing the amount of money and making Massachusetts the “world's climate innovation lab.”
Healey said the budget, which does not rely on any new broad-based taxes or require withdrawals from the state's rainy day fund, would increase spending by just under 3%, the slowest growth in about five years. .
The proposed budget would provide $1.3 billion expected to come from a voter-approved “billionaire tax” to support transportation projects, including the universal school lunch program and the low-income fare relief program for Boston's metropolitan transit system. The money will be used for education.
The budget announcement comes more than two weeks after Healey announced a $375 million budget cut for the current fiscal year, which comes as the administration expects monthly revenues to fall at a slower-than-expected pace. This is because they are trying to make up for the dollar shortage.
The budget includes proposals to ensure that all 4-year-olds in the state's 26 former industrial “gateway cities” have the opportunity to enroll in high-quality preschool programs at low or no cost by 2026. .
Healy said his budget would allow 4,000 more low- and moderate-income families to participate in child care and out-of-school programs.
Healey acknowledged that the state is also under increasing pressure as the influx of immigrants continues and the state's homeless shelter system is strained.
Her family shelter plan will rely on $325 million from the 2025 budget, as well as make nearly $900 million available to the state from surplus spending accounts to cover costs in both fiscal years 2024 and 2024. will depend on additional proposals. Family Shelter Costs in 2025.
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr credited Healey with beginning to recognize the “fiscal storm clouds swirling over the state.”
But he was cautious about proposing more spending.
“As we move forward in the budgeting process, it is critical that we balance immediate needs with the long-term sustainability of critical programs,” Republican lawmakers said in a statement. “Now is the time to tighten your belt and prevent avoidable unsustainable spending.”
The budget also includes proposals to allow electronic bail payments and establish rules and regulations for the Lottery to implement online and through mobile apps.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The budget now goes to the Massachusetts House and Senate, which must craft their own budget proposals. These two documents must be combined into his single budget and sent back to Healey for signature and veto.
Healey said his administration is also trying to address the state's housing problem by moving forward with a $4 billion housing plan, which he said will make it easier to find an affordable place to live in the state.
