Camp Lehman among 5 camps and 3 prisons closing
By Greg Angel
Monday, November 02, 2009 at 5:43 p.m.
Read more: Local, Camp Lehman
GRAYLING -- Tucked away inside the Hartwick Pines State Forest in Crawford County, surrounded by sharp barbed-wire fencing is Camp Lehman. It's a low security correctional facility, housing between 400-500 inmates; that was until Friday.
In a move to save nearly $120 million the Michigan Department of Corrections announced earlier this year the closure of the state's 5 correctional camp facilities and 3 prisons. Those included: Camp Cusino, Camp Kitwen, Camp Lehman, Camp Ottawa and Camp White Lake, Muskegon Correctional Facility, Hiawatha Correctional Facility, and Standish Maximum Correctional Facility.
Camp Lehman's closure date was Friday.
When asked where the 400 prisoners housed at Lehman were currently, Eric Smith, administrative assistant to the warden at Pugsley Correctional Facility said: "They're throughout the state, they're at different secured level one minimum security prisons."
Pugsley Correctional Facility in Kingsley is overseeing closure operations of Camp Lehman.
"Getting up to that point is having the prisoners transferred, finding bed space and as time goes on you can have probably 30 prisoners a day transferred out," Smith said.
As Smith explains the process to transfer out prisoners has been a staggered one, occuring for the last month or two.
Despite the series of closures, transfers, and paroles, Smith maintains there is no sacrifice being made to safety.
"Even though a prison closes, that doesn't negate safety and security," Smith said. "The prisoners who were here they've been placed at their proper security level. Now, the prisoners that have been paroled, they probably already had a parole slated to go."
Aside from the prisoners, closures at facilities like Camp Lehman is also having an impact on those who worked there.
"You have staff that has been displaced, we have good people that work here they really cared about this place," Smith said.
The MDOC reports the majority of the 110 employees and correctional officers employed at Camp Lehman have been to transferred to other facilities, most to Pugsley Correctional Facility in Kingsley.
While the 110 employees have been transferred, lay-offs remain. In June the MDOC reported that the closures could have meant nearly 1,000 lay-offs. Now in November and the MDOC reports there have been roughly 200 total lay-offs; 100 combined between Camp Lehman and Standish Maximum Correctional Facility.
With the facility officially closed, crews are working to remove all furnishings and equipment which will go to other state owned departments. Responsibility for the physical property Camp Lehman rests on is assumed by the state Department of management and Budget.
Muskegon Correctional Facility remains the only location slated for closure.
