26 testify at prison hearing in Sutton

SUTTON--At a Sutton public hearing for the prison project, 72 residents signed in at the meeting. Seventeen testified before the crowd while nine testified privately with a court reporter. All but one of the public comments opposed the project coming to Sutton.

A prison with a medium and minimum security compound already exists near Sutton, called the Palmer Correctional Facility.

The Sutton hearing was the fourth community hearing. A panel of project representatives from AHFC (Alaska Housing Finance Corporation), the Alaska Dept. of Corrections and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough listened to testimony. No time is dedicated to answering questions during public testimony at the hearings. Among the most frequently asked questions at the Sutton meeting were these questions:

Won't the lighting for the larger prison be much worse than the lighting at the existing prison?

No. The lighting at the new facility will use the latest advances in technology and cameras to minimize light pollution. The amount of light required to keep the facility secure is reduced. Light is now more precisely directed. Exterior lights will be focused on the ground, not the sky. The lighting will not be like the lighting at the Palmer Correctional Facility in Sutton. As a result of this public process, DOC is fully aware of how sensitive local residents are to prison lighting. Upgrades to existing lighting at the Sutton site are programmed in the Department's FY-08 capital program and will be completed based on available funding and the priorities of other capital requirements.

How many beds for maximum custody inmates will there be in the new facility and won't that make up a large percentage of the inmates?

The MAT-SU medium-security prison will have 64 beds available for maximum custody inmates, or about three percent of the prison, if it contains 2,251 beds. However, according to Commissioner Marc Antrim of the Dept. of Corrections, the prison will likely house two percent or less of maximum custody inmates. Currently, there are only 63 maximum custody inmates in the system overall, including 15 who are housed in Arizona. Additionally, the maximum custody inmates will be housed essentially in a jail within a prison. Such inmates are housed one to a cell in a special housing unit. The majority of inmates in the MAT-SU prison will be medium custody inmates. Spring Creek, the maximum-security prison in Seward, will likely house the state's long-term maximum custody inmates.

Have wells gone dry at the Palmer Correctional Facility?

Palmer Correctional Center (PCC) has three production wells. PCC has never had a problem with water availability. There have been problems with well casings and pumps, which required their replacement.

Why aren't Sutton residents notified when an inmate escapes from the unfenced minimum part of the facility?

Palmer Correctional Center emergency plans require activation of a calling tree to inform the community of escapes. When initiated, staff calls a member of the community who has agreed to continue making calls to other members of the community notifying them of an escape.

The last walk-away escape from Palmer Minimum was February 13, 2003. The prisoner was returned to the facility by helicopter within 90 minutes of his escape.

By contrast, the new medium-security prison will be a fenced facility.

Won't we need more of a police presence to deal with increased crime around the prison?

The Government Center of the Florida International University looked at the impact of prison location n on crime rates. There was either no effect or the crime rate dropped around a prison, according to that study.

For more information refer to the Frequently Asked Questions on the Borough Web site www.matsugov.us Click on the gray MAT-SU Prison Project icon.

Written comments hold equal weight to verbal testimony. Comment forms are on the front of the prison page. Comments are still being gathered for the public record.

For general prison project information call Borough Public Affairs Manager Patty Sullivan at (907) 745-9577.