Pubdate: Sun, 16 Dec 2001 Source: Parkersburg Sentinel, The (WV) Copyright: 2001, The Parkersburg Sentinel Contact: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1647 Website: http://www.newsandsentinel.com/ Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration) 400 NEW JOBS AT GILMER PRISON WELCOME, BUT DON'T LET JAILS BECOME ECONOMIC CRUTCH The citizens of Glenville are undoubtedly celebrating the coming of between 350-400 jobs when a 1,250-bed federal prison opens possibly by next October. And well they should. Gilmer County, like many West Virginia counties, has long struggled with high unemployment, a stagnant tax base and a constant hemorrhaging of residents forced to go elsewhere seeking work. It is, however, disturbing to many people this is the type of economic development West Virginians are forced to cheer about. We can argue about safety all day long and come to the conclusion these facilities are as safe for residents as they can be. However, it can't be challenged that the quality of life will be altered by the opening of this type of facility in a county's midst. And quality of life is the best attribute West Virginia has to offer. The opening of any facility this large in any county will change that county. But a prison threatens to obliterate the things that make a community. The Federal Bureau of Prisons announced plans for the Gilmer County facility in 1998, but it had been a hotly debated subject for many years before that date. We don't know if the rift this debate caused has healed, but it did cause a serious division within the community. West Virginia is a rural state with many problems. Plants are reluctant to locate in isolated areas so many people are forced to drive long distances over poor roads for work. An opportunity to land something that will provide up to 400 jobs in a community can't be turned down. Gilmer County isn't the only county standing in line to land a prison complex. Preston County has wanted one in the past, and in our area, Doddridge County had at one time hoped to land a facility for juvenile offenders. The federal prison-building explosion has been used as way to revive many rural areas of Appalachia. According to an Associated Press story, a $100 million federal prison recently opened in Lee County, Va. Four more federal prisons, including the one in Gilmer County, are currently under construction. And 24 more will be built by 2006, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons officials say. "There are so many rural communities that are hard up for jobs, they'll take prisons with much less objection than you will find in the city," said Calvin Beale, a federal demographer. A few years ago, many out-of-state companies proposed to build huge landfills in West Virginia. Again the lure of jobs, albeit fewer ones, was the carrot held out as an incentive for this construction. The stick, however, was most of the landfill would be taken up by trash brought in from states that had filled up their own landfills and whose legislators made it impossible for any others to be built there. Luckily, new laws prevented the proliferation of these landfills. The prisons are another form of landfill, but the jobs offer higher pay and more benefits. So we join our friends in Gilmer County in celebrating their good fortune. The prospect of 400 new jobs will go a long way in revitalizing the county. We readily admit in our present economic circumstances, this is about as good as it gets. We hope, however, that West Virginia doesn't use the possibility of prison construction as a tool for economic development. Something seems inherently wrong with depending on the growth of crime to help fuel economic growth. The people in this state deserve better than this. Much better. - --- MAP posted-by: Jackl