Economics aside, does it make sense to close Rockview state prison? ‘It’s a bad place to live’
The proposal to close Rockview state prison drew immediate concerns about the workforce and economic impact, but those who have monitored conditions at the facility have for years said the prison is on its last legs.
Particularly in two housing blocks constructed more than a century ago, Pennsylvania Prison Society Prison Monitoring Director Noah A. Barth said living conditions there are “quite concerning.”
At least one unit is not air conditioned. Many cells are in poor condition, ranging from crumbling walls and rust to peeling paint. Pipes, toilets and sinks leak.
Barth said he even saw pigeons flying in the prison during a tour led by Superintendent Bobbi Salamon. Left in the pigeons’ wake were areas with “large quantities of pigeon droppings,” Barth said.
“Those two units are not modern and conditions in them are problematic,” Barth said. “... The original housing blocks of Rockview are insufficient for operations, security and living conditions.”
During his tour, Barth said there was an acknowledgment the prison’s roof and windows needed to be addressed because the pigeons were “an issue.” But in the interim, Barth summed it up succinctly.
“It’s a bad place to live,” he said.
Rockview would require about $74 million in upgrades over the next five years if it were to remain open. A state Department of Corrections memo said crucial projects include upgrades to roofs, waterlines, showering facilities, a boiler system and the exterior.
Some major systems — including drinking water, sewer, electrical and heating — are more than 50 years old. Built in 1915, Rockview is the second-oldest among the nearly two dozen in the DOC system. Billed as a state-of-the-art facility when it opened in 2013, Benner state prison sits on the same grounds.
The prison’s original housing units also have limited sight lines, making supervision of inmates more difficult compared to modern facilities. It also struggles to accommodate inmates in wheelchairs, according to the DOC memo.
Speaking to Centre County’s commissioners Tuesday, longtime Prison Society volunteer Janet Irons mentioned mold and insect infestations before telling them she could “go on and on.”
She then asked they not rush to judge the proposal put forward by Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration, particularly the proposed closure of a prison with conditions she described as “atrocious and appalling.”
“If we want to send incarcerated people the message that they are going to be rehabilitated, nobody wants to send them to a prison that is over 100 years old and falling apart,” Irons said.
Board Chairman Mark Higgins said the county expects to fight to keep Rockview open, as well as Quehanna Boot Camp in neighboring Clearfield County.
Commissioner Amber Concepcion said her most significant concern is for the 658 staff members who work at the prison and are slated to have their livelihoods upended. Department of Corrections Secretary Laurel R. Harry has said every staff member will be guaranteed a job offer at their existing pay and classification at a nearby facility.
Commissioner Steve Dershem, meanwhile, said there will need to be “intense” conversations about what happens with the property should the prison close. It sits on thousands of acres that serve as a divide between the broader State College and Bellefonte areas.
He also wondered aloud if Pennsylvania’s shrinking state prison population would continue as it has in recent years.
Barth, the Prison Society’s monitoring director, said he understands why the state would look to close certain facilities. They are expensive, complex facilities to operate and reducing the DOC’s footprint could make the agency more efficient.
As of Dec. 31, only about 82% of beds in the prison system were filled. Even if Rockview and Quehanna were closed, the DOC memo said there would be about 4,200 beds left unfilled.
And since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the DOC’s vacancy and turnover rate among corrections officers has steadily increased. It’s resulted in massive overtime payments, costing taxpayers more than $70 million over the last two full fiscal years.
“I can imagine there are a number of very big factors that go into making a decision like this and that the department can’t arrive at a conclusion easily,” Barth said.
Public comment on the proposal will be accepted for at least three months before a decision is finalized and state law requires the DOC to host at least one public hearing in Centre County. The soonest Rockview could close is Sept. 10.
This story was originally published February 13, 2025 at 5:05 AM.