The Pocatello Prison Siting Story - Essay Example

The Pocatello Prison Siting Story This paper is about a case study which tells the events that surrounded the siting of Pocatello Prison. As is known any kind of social establishment can be source of revenue for a state, and Idaho being an economically backward state construction of a new prison was strongly supported by it. This case study brought to the fore the manipulative and selfish methods used by politicians to persuade matters in their favor. When the state capitol of Boise was selected as a potential site for the new prison, state legislative delegation from Pocatello reminded Boise’s Governor, Cecil Andrus about his dependence on Pocatello for votes and support. As Andrus voiced his view in favor of building the prison in Pocatello, the state of Idaho finally selected Crusick Creek as site for the new prison. Keywords: prisons, prisoners, offenders, state, club, community, environment Increasing the number of prisons has become imperative in a county like the United States with growing number of offenders being sentenced to prison every year. Also, with longer sentences and a decline in parole rates also contribute to the need for more prisons. However, one major question that arises is whether a prison has good value for money. It is universally known that offenders are put into prison to deter them from more criminal activities. Other arguments state that prisoners, after getting released from prison, are often prone towards re-offence which means prisons are both expensive and ineffective. There are certain challenges attached to building a new prison. While there are economic issues to consider, there are political complications that also may cause hindrance in selecting an area as a potential site for a prison. One major problem that has taken severe shape in the United States is overcrowding in state’s prisons. That excessive number of prisoners incarcerated every year is reflected in the fact that although America consists of only 5 percent of the global population, the country’s total number of prisoners is about 25 percent of prisoners around the world (The Challenges of “realignment”, 2012). This results in huge demand for building more prisons which leads to greedy bargaining of prison-guards union. Therefore, it is not surprising that state prisons have been exerting an enormous pressure on the state budget. Moreover, growing number of prisons in rural areas or small towns has also become a matter of humanitarian concern. Since most prisons in the United States are overcrowded, heath issues have taken a serious form. However, misery of the prisoners is always a subtle issue for the mainstream population in America as majority of state prisons is situated in remote locations from cities, often in deserts area inland which are dusty. Even till a few years back, one acute problem occurred in the manner that double the number of prisoners were housed in a prison than is actually permitted, especially in the city of California. To deal with this crisis, in 2011 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that prisons should hold only that number of prisoners which will allow to sufficiently maintain humane conditions (The Challenges of “realignment”, 2012). The case study of the siting of the Pocatello Prison is one example that reflects the many ramifications (both political and rational) that arose from the decision of building a new women’s prison by the state of Idaho. For many people, the issue of constructing a new prison should be based on rational policies. For example, a new prison is believed should be built in a site which can provide favorable cost-benefit ratios. Others suggest that a new prison should have the benefit of being close to a highly populated area although this idea is most often rejected due to the potential cost of land. Then, there are also favorable views in building a new prison in a community in which there are individuals “trained in corrections and law enforcement” (The Pocatello Prison Siting Story: A Case Study of Politics). This also explains that expanding an existing prison, rather than building an entirely new one, will serve the purpose of reducing duplication costs, e.g. one warder of the existing prison can be retained while a new prison will demand a second warden. However, in the case of Pocatello Prison siting, the State Board of Corrections faced more political hurdles. One important perspective that is held by any community is that a prison can serve positive purposes in times of recession. Such is the case of Idaho communities which have been suffering from recession for almost ten years. For them, a new prison means that it can become a source for stable jobs. Constructing a new prison means additional money can be provided to a community’s economy in the way of construction costs and then maintenance costs of the new prison. Also, the prison will become regular buyer of supplies. Considering the fact that the city of Pocatello has suffered from massive job loss as consequence of economic downturn, it was therefore natural that Pocatello was completely in favour of the new prison construction. In general, it is considered that a new prison has certain advantages over a pre-existing one in relation to new and developed features and amenities for prisoners. Moreover, a prison is not just a physical construction but is also a complex social structure. To bring about dynamic changes in a pre-existing prison it is necessary to bring fundamental changes in the existing framework of behavior and attitudes. This can cause ripples in the existing stability of the prison. Attempts to make such fundamental changes can be subjected to subtle or active resistance from both prisoners and prison staff. Absence of such pre-existing principles and equilibrium in a newly constructed prison provides the management the advantage in terms of innovation and building a new and effective staff system. In the current case study, the proposed prison was decided to be constructed in Philbin Road site which is an area in north Pocatello. One major disadvantage of this area was that it was considered unsuitable for inhabitants because of high level of air pollution according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Soon after the site was considered for the new prison, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) threatened to file a lawsuit against the state of Idaho on the pretext that the physical health of the prisoners would be severely compromised. In fear of delay of the project and associated increasing costs, the state of Idaho immediately changed the site to Boise which was an economically affluent region. Moreover, Boise already has a men’s correctional facility which ensured availability of highly trained correctional workforce. Subsequent to this new decision, certain political players came to the fore. The major of Boise, Dirk Kempthorne shrewdly announced that he would approve building the prison in Pocatello so that the city gets economic benefits from the prison. Apparently, this was Kempthorne’s strategy to secure support from Pocatello in the upcoming senator elections. Within a week of this announcement, the state of Idaho selected a new site in Pocatello, Cusick Creek, for the new prison. This generated political oppositions from a local organization, Sierra Club who claimed that Cusick Creek’s development will be endangered if a prison is constructed. The club also got support from a group of local residents who expression concern that their quality of life and value of properties would be compromised. Moreover, these residents protested the potential unsafe environment that can be caused by “noise, traffic, and light coming from the prison” (The Pocatello Prison Siting Story: A Case Study of Politics). To prevent loss of the project, the city government decided to reach a compromise. It was then decided that except the area of the prison, the remaining area of Cusick Creek would be assigned as a “nondevelopment zone”. Finally, the Sierra Club removed their oppositions accepting loss of some land portions in return of assurance that rest of the area will be protected. Conclusion The current study is a clear reflection of political players’ attempt to gain political advantages from a new prison construction project. Often rational views are neglected as political leaders walk the path of political compromise. In the case of Pocatello, its economic downturn became an issue to consider by the governor Cecil Andrus. In addition, Kempthorne’s support of Pocatello as more suitable site than Boise acted as fuel for the state of Idaho to finally select Crusick Creek as site for the new prison. References The Challenges of “realignment”, (2012) The Economist, retrieved on October 6, 2014 from: http://www.economist.com/node/21555611 The Pocatello Prison Siting Story: A Case Study of Politics Read More