Furloughs On The Way For Corrections Employees

The number of furloughed state employees is growing. Georgia's budget crunch means furloughs for more than 6,000 workers at the State Department of Corrections.

Those employees will have to take a day off with out pay in March, April, May and June. It's part of a plan the department submitted to Governor Perdue last year. His office recently approved it. Kristen Stancil is a Corrections spokesperson.

"We were asked to cut six percent of our budget and this is one of the things that we decided to do. We've cut in other areas and this is one of the extra things we felt we needed to do to help get to that six percent that he requested we cut."

The furloughs could cut up to $4.5 million from Corrections Department's budget. Not all department staff will have to take four days. Security staff will only take two because of safety concerns.

Corrections is just one state department furloughing workers. At least five others have been doing the same.

South Georgia state prison to close

A south Georgia state prison is set to close. Officials with the Department of Corrections say the 250-bed Milan State Prison in Helena will close the doors on Friday. Inmates will be transferred to other prisons in the state. The 55 workers at Milan will be offered other jobs in the Department. There are no plans yet in place as for what will become of the soon-to-be vacated facility.

Search for escaped inmates

Two escaped prison inmates are on the run in northwest Georgia. The Department of Corrections says 53-year-old Johnny M. Brown and 48-year-old Michael A. Tweedel escaped from Hays State Prison near Trion on Monday morning. Brown is serving two 10-year sentences for armed robbery in Cobb County. Tweedel is serving a life sentence for armed robbery, hijacking a vehicle and aggravated assault and battery in Clarke County.

(Associated Press)

Corrections centers to close

The state Department of Corrections says it will close diversion centers at Gainesville, Macon and Waycross. Corrections Commissioner James Donald says the closings are needed to accomplish a 3.5 percent budget cut Gov. Sonny Perdue ordered. The centers are for low-risk felons. They are designed to house adult felons for 90 to 120 days while they work paying jobs in the community to pay fines. Donald says employees will be offered other jobs within the Corrections Department.

Georgia responds to prison report

Officials with Georgia's Department of Corrections agree with a study out last week that suggests the state could be smarter about its correctional policies. But they say that Georgia is already laying that groundwork.

According to the study from the Pew Center On the States, Georgia has the second-highest incarceration rate in the country. At the beginning of 2008, state facilities held some 55,000 prisoners. Brian Owens, Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Corrections, said an additional 15,000 may be added over the next seven years.

Owens also said that the state plans to expand services for non-violent drug and property offenders, to keep them out of jail. Instead, they can receive vocational training and substance abuse intervention at new day report centers.