Warehousing isn't the answer

Posted: June 14, 2013

While on the recent Decarcerate PA 10-day march from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, I wrote to comment on reports of $400 million in prison construction slated for Montgomery County. State prisons chief John Wetzel will be adding some 1,000 beds, yet his department's projections indicate those beds aren't needed. Pennsylvania prison growth has long been out of control. We need to reduce the prison population and invest in strong, safe, and stable communities. Wetzel likes to talk about being a prison reformer, but refuses to walk the walk. That's why Decarcerate PA members walked in heat and rain to offer Harrisburg leaders a vision for real change.

Thomas Dichter, Hershey