Walnut Grove mayor: Prison closure could cripple town
WALNUT GROVE, Miss. (AP) – The mayor of Walnut Grove says the state’s closure of a private prison could be crippling for his town.
The Clarion-Ledger reports the Mississippi Department of Corrections announced on Friday that it would close the privately run Walnut Grove Correctional Facility in September and transfer its 900 inmates to state-run facilities. Corrections Commissioner Marshall Fisher said he made the decision because of state budget cuts and a declining inmate population.
Mayor Brian Gomillion said Monday he would like to talk with state leaders about using Walnut Grove as a state-run facility, or even potentially contracting to house inmates from other states.
For a town with a population of less than 500, Gomillion says the loss of 215 jobs is crippling. Gomillion said the city receives about $180,000 a year in taxes from the prison.
