Sandhills Youth Center to close

Michael F. Easley Governor		Theodis Beck Secretary
North Carolina Department of Correction

For Release: IMMEDIATE	Contact: Keith Acree
Date: March 25, 2003	Phone: (919) 716-3727

Sandhills Youth Center to close New minimum security units to open at Morrison and Foothills Correctional Institutions RALEIGH – Correction Secretary Theodis Beck announced today the planned closing of Sandhills Youth Center in McCain and the establishment of two new minimum-security prison units at the former IMPACT boot camps in Hoffman and Morganton. These moves are expected to be complete by July 1. The inmate population at Sandhills Youth Center, approximately 300 males ages 18 to 25, will be moved to the IMPACT East facility, which will become a 324-bed minimum-security youth component of Morrison Correctional Institution. IMPACT West will become a 200-bed minimum-security adult component of Foothills Correctional Institution. "The result of these changes is the creation of 200 new prison beds while also achieving a significant cost savings," said Secretary Beck. "At the same time, we will make every effort to find suitable positions for the employees of Sandhills Youth Center at one of our new facilities, or elsewhere in the Division of Prisons." The 109 employee positions at Sandhills will be relocated, with 61 positions added at Morrison and 48 positions added at Foothills. Employee preferences will be considered as employees are reassigned to available vacancies at Morrison and other prisons in the surrounding area. Some of the employees are expected to fill positions at the new Scotland Correctional Institution in Laurinburg, where construction is nearing completion. After the Sandhills Youth Center campus is vacated, its inmate housing building, originally constructed in 1939 as the North Carolina Tuberculosis Sanitarium for Negroes, will be closed. This will eliminate the need to spend approximately $2 million on needed health and safety repairs to the building. Other campus buildings will be used to house regional administrative, training and personnel offices for the Department of Correction, resulting in additional savings by eliminating lease payments. # # #