Philadelphia Considers Replacing Outdated House of Correction

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia City Council’s Committee on Public Property voted on May 11 to approve a bill that allows the city to purchase a 58-acre parcel of land on the Delaware River that could be used to build a prison facility to replace the 140-year-old House of Correction in Northeast Philadelphia — a decision that would ultimately be left for the next mayor to tackle.

The Philadelphia Business Journal reported that the property is currently owned by BNP Paribas of New York, and is valued at $7.3 million. The bill allows the city a year to negotiate the terms of purchase with the current owners before an agreement of sale must be signed by June 2016, according to PlanPhilly.

The land is adjacent to the current House of Correction, which Michael Resnick, the city’s director of public safety, told PlanPhilly is outdated and not conducive to mass management of the inmates who are incarcerated there. As of earlier this month, the prison had more than about 275 inmates more than its 1,250 capacity, reported PlanPhilly. The land’s close proximity to the current facility would allow the city to consolidate operations in the area, update the prison facility and improve parking issues.

Prison Commissioner Louis Giorla said the city’s inmate population has fluctuated between 7,400 and 10,000 inmates over the past few years, reported PlanPhilly. The population currently stands around 8,000; however, Giorla said that even if it drops to 6,000, the planned update to the prison would be needed.

The existing prison would eventually be demolished, said Public Property Commissioner Bridget Collins-Greenwald, in a testimony at the May 11 hearing. The development of the new facility could cost anywhere between $300 million and $500 million, she added.

Later this week, the city council will vote on the bill, which would give the city until June 2016 and up to $7.26 million to purchase the land. However, it will be the next mayor’s decision as to whether or not to spend the at least $300 million on constructing a new prison facility. James F. Kenney, the perceived front-runner in the Democratic primary campaign, said in a statement that he is uninterested in moving forward with the project, and instead plans to meet “our obligation to our schools.”

Kenney’s spokeswoman added that if elected after the land is purchased, he would use the land for something else such as a facility for job training for those reentering the workforce after incarceration.