Home   News   Schools   Sports   Biz   Opinion   Health   Scitech  Arts   Dining   Movies   Outdoors   Weather   Comics   Archives  NM Jobs Cars Real Estate

          Front Page  opinion  guest_columns

Monday, November 09, 2009

Closing Prison Threatens Jobs

By Arlene Hickson
Prison Warden
          As you may be aware, the state Legislature has submitted a budget to the governor that contains mandated correctional budget cuts that could include closing the CCA-New Mexico Women's Correctional Facility in Grants.
        The governor has until Nov. 12 to sign or veto the budget, which means that any chance for our community to voice support for keeping the prison open and saving jobs is very short and we need your help!
        CCA-New Mexico Women's Correctional Facility is nationally accredited through the American Correctional Association and has been accredited since opening in June 1989. The facility also has an accreditation from the National Corrections Commission on Health Care.
        CCA-New Mexico Women's Correctional Facility has always valued the strong support from our Grants community. We feel our contributions to this community have been noteworthy, including employing almost 150 people, paying about $1 million in property taxes and utilities, supporting local organizations like the Future Foundations Family Center, Grants and Cibola County Chamber of Commerce, Roberta's Place (Domestic Violence Shelter), the American Cancer Society, New Life for Girls and several others. We also support many local vendors in order to improve the economic stability of Grants.
        Our facility participates in quarterly community relations meetings to engage members of the community and create a friendly approach to the aspect of having a prison nearby. Our Community Relations Board includes members of local law enforcement — Grants Police Department, Milan Police Department, New Mexico State Police, Cibola County Sheriff's Department— as well as officials from the New Mexico State University-Grants campus, local newspapers and radio stations, District Attorney's Office, the mayors of Grants and Milan, CCA-Cibola County Correctional Center, Western New Mexico Correctional Facility, Cibola County Detention Center, Grants Fire and Rescue and the local probation/parole office.
        We are so proud of the strong education, vocation, substance abuse treatment and life skills programs we offer the women in our care, and we are grateful for the 200-plus volunteers who actively participate in enhancing the overall operation of the facility to provide services to the women incarcerated here.
        The closure of this facility will be devastating to the employees and our families, and we know it will negatively impact the entire Grants community as well.
        As employees, we plan to immediately call, e-mail and write our legislators to voice our support for protecting our livelihoods and maintaining the strong programs for our women by keeping the CCA-New Mexico Women's Correctional Facility open.
        Please show your support, too, by contacting your local and state legislators, the governor's office and the Department of Corrections. We are all in this together.
        Arlene Hickson is the warden at CCA-New Mexico Women's Correctional Facility in Grants.