MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. -- An announcement concerning the Pine Lodge prison is causing outrage in the town of Medical Lake. The state is closing the facility only to open another prison on the west side.
An internal memo from the head of Washington Corrections has the entire town of Medical Lake up in arms. The legislature announced the closure of Pine Lodge because of budget cuts. But they have allotted money for a brand new prison to be built on the west side of the state and to pay for its pre-design. Medical Lake officials are asking how long this plan has been in the works.
Every bed at Pine Lodge Corrections will be empty. 117 women are being transferred to the west side in less than a month. More than 100 people will be out of a job.
In an email to KREM 2 News, department of corrections representatives in Olympia defended their decision. They said the new prison will be more energy efficient and will cost less to operate. The email also said it's too early in the process to know what the final cost will be. The new prison will not be just for women.
All inmates will be transferred from Medical Lake by May 16. The prison will officially close on May 31.
