Indiana to close southern Indiana prison this month

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - It began a review of its facilities earlier this year to determine if resources could be consolidated and determined the dormitory-style Henryville prison could be most easily absorbed into nearby prisons. Indiana's only other minimum-security prisons are Edinburgh and, in northern Indiana, Chain O'Lakes.

When Level 6 offenders are incarcerated at a county jail instead of a state prison, the DOC must pay the county $35 per day per inmate, the department said.

Democratic State Rep. Terry Goodin of Austin, whose district includes Henryville, said he was disappointed at the announcement of the closing because people who work there will be forced to move elsewhere to keep their jobs. He also said Henryville and nearby communities benefited from prison work crews performing jobs like mowing weeds in vacant lots, picking up trash, and clearing out ditches.

"To get help, they often relied upon work crews from Henryville to do these things for them. Now that these crews no longer will be around, it will be more difficult to take care of these tasks. In most cases, they will have to be forgotten about or contracted out to private concerns at prices that will end up costing local taxpayers even more," Goodin said in a statement.