BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - State lawmakers from southwest Louisiana, even those allied with Gov. Bobby Jindal, said Tuesday they were caught off-guard by an abrupt announcement from the Jindal administration that it planned to close a state prison in DeQuincy.
The closure of C. Paul Phelps Correctional Center was announced Friday. Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc called it a cost-cutting measure that will save nearly $3 million this year and $12 million a year later.
The idea was not discussed in recent legislative budget hearings, and lawmakers representing the Calcasieu Parish area said they weren't included in any talks about the closure.
The legislators, including House Speaker Chuck Kleckley, said they were given only a few hours' notice before the closure was publicly announced and weren't given the opportunity to pitch ideas about steps that could be taken to keep Phelps open.
"I can't find a single legislator who had the slightest hint that this was going to be done. The secrecy I guess perplexes me more than anything," said Sen. John Smith, R-Leesville.
Corrections spokeswoman Pam Laborde didn't respond to a question about why southwest Louisiana lawmakers weren't included in conversations about the closure.
"This is a good deal for Louisiana taxpayers and will result in significant savings while maintaining public safety," Laborde said in an email.
LeBlanc said the 942 prisoners at Phelps will be moved to the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola and the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel. He said the prison will shut its doors in November.
More than 250 prison employees face layoffs. Ten of the current workers will retain their jobs in jail monitoring and pre-classification services at the center's administrative building in DeQuincy. Another 92 positions will be transferred to other facilities, but it's uncertain if Phelps workers will want to travel long distances to the other jobs.
Kleckley, a Republican ally of Jindal who lives in Calcasieu Parish, said he learned Friday the closure was happening.
"I find it surprising. I think it shows a lack of respect for legislators in the area," said Rep. Brett Geymann, R-Lake Charles, a member of the House's budget committee who has been at odds recently with Jindal.
The corrections department said Phelps has a high cost-per-day for each offender and the consolidation would combine resources and reduce duplicate costs.
Rep. Dorothy Sue Hill, D-Dry Creek, said she heard of the closure about a half hour before it was announced, when LeBlanc called to say he had some bad news.
"I was devastated. That's really going to devastate this part of the state," she said, noting that DeQuincy is mostly populated with rural residents, the majority of whom work at the correctional center.
"I don't understand why they don't realize that rural people need jobs also. This is a good place for jobs. We can't all move to Baton Rouge or New Orleans. They don't want to live there," she said.
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Photo from La. Dept. of Corrections
