Greene County's jail was recently closed due to decades of inhumane conditions. Now, our community must choose whether to build a new jail, or pursue the first regional jail authority in NYS, which would allow us to use an existing jail facility (most likely in Hudson given its proximity to Catskill and their stated openness to pursuing this option). 

The NYS Governor's office, the NYS Commission of Corrections, and numerous state legislators have vocalized their support for this approach, so much so that the state offered to pay $25,000 of the $30,000 it would cost Greene County to do a full-scale feasibility study of the regional (shared) jail approach. However, the legislature has chosen not to pursue this study in favor of building a new jail which would cost a minimum of $47 MILLION and increase annual jail operating costs. 

Tell your legislators: DO NOT PASS A $39 MILLION BOND to fund a new jail BEFORE exploring the possibility of a shared jail BY SUPPORTING THE SHARED JAIL FEASIBILITY STUDY! A shared jail would prevent nearly 100 new jail builds being built in our region, potentially doubling our incarceration rate (the research shows, if they build it, they'll fill it), and would save the county $47 million in new tax liability! 

If demonstrated to be a viable solution for safely and humanely housing our jail population, the regional jail option should be pursued, with the savings being invested into: career transition support for all corrections staff (either as staff under the new regional jail authority, through early retirement, or career transition support as desired), maintaining low tax rates in our county, and investing in other public services that help PREVENT crime and incarceration.