In conclusion
In response to California’s declining jail population, Governor Gavin Newsom has taken action to eliminate five state prisons. Riverside County is home to the next one in line.
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The next community in line to lose a state prison is unlikely to oppose Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan.
The California Rehabilitation Center has been the target of years of campaigning by Norco in Riverside County, who claim the city can find a better use for the property. Before it became a state jail, it was an art-deco hotel.
The jail is now scheduled to close in 2026. The prisons department in Newsom said on Tuesday that the jail is no longer required due to the state’s declining prison population.
During the Newsom administration, it will be the fifth to close. By closing the prison, the state anticipates saving almost $150 million.
By suing the state or pushing to keep their jobs, some jail cities opposed the closures.
Not Norco. Officials are looking forward to the adaptive reuse of the former hotel, according to a statement shared on social media.
According to the city statement, the Norco City Council is still optimistic that this historic jewel will one day be brought back to its former splendor as a resort and serve as a catalyst for the local economy.
The prison employs 1,200 people. Some of them will be able to transfer to other locations, so they won’t necessarily be let go when the jail closes.
When Newsom presented his budget proposal in May and struggled with a $12 billion shortfall, he made it clear that he intended to eliminate another jail.
In order to improve public safety and provide the best possible service to the people of California, the prisons department is dedicated to managing its resources wisely. California’s budget for 2025–2026 planned for closing the prison, one of several difficult measures needed to improve the state’s financial situation. Regarding the closure of the Norco jail, Newsom’s corrections department issued a written statement.
The California correctional officers’ union has not previously opposed Newsom’s jail closures. Instead, as the jail population fell from a peak of over 170,000 inmates to the current 91,000, it sought to improve compensation and working conditions for its members.
When its president criticized the closure of the Norco site in a statement this week, that changed.
In a written statement, Neil Flood, president of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, stated that shuttering (the prison in Norco) removes vital physical space that alleviates overcrowding, promotes rehabilitative programming, and keeps a manageable staff-to-inmate ratio. All Californians must strike this balance for their safety because increasing population density while decreasing capacity results in a general increase in violence, both inside and outside of institutions.
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