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The state’s Auditor General will conduct an audit of the decision to close the Ojibway Correctional Facility.
State Representative Scott Dianda called for the audit after it was announced that the prison in Gogebic County would close on December 1st.
Dianda says the Michigan Department of Corrections has not considered the economic impact that the closing of the facility will have on the local community.
The audit will determine whether there is documentation to support the state’s decision to close the prison.
In a statement, Dianda said, “I want to thank Auditor General Ringler for his quick response to my request and for agreeing to conduct an audit to determine if documentation exists to support MDOC’s decision to close Ojibway Correctional Facility. We know that closing Ojibway could result in Gogebic County losing more than $700,000 in state school aid, the local hospital losing more than $1 million in broken contracts, and corrections workers being forced to drive more than 200 miles a day to work in the nearest correctional facility if they can even transfer there. No one understands how MDOC could consider the economic impact, as required by the state budget, and still decide to close this facility. With the livelihood of hundreds of U.P. families hanging in the balance, I am glad that we will now have another audit to determine if MDOC is following the rules concerning prison closure decisions.”
