Rockview state prison prepares to lock up for the last time. Questions abound

A Centre County landmark for more than a century, Rockview’s time as a state prison is set to be paroled for good.

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration said Wednesday it is following through with a proposal to close Rockview, as well as Quehanna Boot Camp in neighboring Clearfield County. But plenty of questions still remain.

The state Department of Corrections did not immediately say when either facility would close, in part because of how the state law governing public safety facility closures is written. The agency expects to announce its final decision by the end of this week. And state law mandates at least four months’ notice before closing a public safety facility, placing the earliest possible closure in mid-January.

It was similarly unclear how staff would be transferred, whether in gradual waves, all at once or some other option. A message left Wednesday afternoon with the DOC was not immediately returned.

“I hope that you will continue to support each other until, and after, the final decision is announced,” DOC Secretary Laurel R. Harry wrote Wednesday in an email to staff.

Inmates would be gradually transferred to facilities that “best meet their individualized programming, security, healthcare and other needs,” the DOC said in a press release. Specialized programming and housing units would be relocated to other facilities and continue to operate.

Shapiro’s administration said the closures would save the state up to $100 million in future fiscal years, but taxpayers will continue to foot the bill for mothballing costs — essentially putting the facilities into hibernation instead of closing them completely.

Sewage fees, for example, are expected to decrease from $920,000 annually to $138,000. Add in costs for gas, electricity, water, security, telecommunications and maintenance contracts and it’s expected to cost $1.58 million per year to maintain Rockview.

Quehanna’s annual mothball costs are estimated at about $633,000. Put together, the state expects to pay about $2.2 million annually.

Shapiro’s administration hasn’t offered any clues about what could happen with either facility once they close. Pennsylvania closed a handful of state prisons in roughly the past half-century and not every facility has faced the same fate.

One became a popular museum, while others have been sold at auction for hundreds of thousands of dollars or are set for a costly demolition. Others sit unoccupied and have become blighted properties.

“I insist that the costs of moth-balling and ongoing maintenance be minimal and that the facilities will not become abandoned and blighted, or ever become a burden borne by local taxpayers,” state Rep. Paul Takac, D-College Township, said in a statement.

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources holds the title to Quehanna’s property and is “ultimately responsible for any future use or disposition of the property,” the DOC said in its more than 1,200-page closure report.

Most options to dispose of Rockview’s vast property would require legislative authorization.

“The process of closing the facilities and divesting the 5,700 acres surrounding Rockview must be fully open and transparent. I will continue to insist that the state not make backroom sweetheart deals or fail to receive fair value or compensation for any land transfers or sales,” Takac said. “Further, any future uses or transfers must take into account a significant public and community benefit because that land belongs to us, the people of Pennsylvania, held in trust, and any future changes or decisions must fully take that into account.”

This story was originally published September 17, 2025 at 4:37 PM.

Bret Pallotto

Centre Daily Times

814-231-4648

Bret Pallotto primarily reports on courts and crime for the Centre Daily Times. He was raised in Mifflin County and graduated from Lock Haven University.