Senator: State to close Pittsburgh State Prison

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A state senator says the Wolf administration plans to close Pittsburgh State Prison to save money at a time when inmate numbers are dropping.

Sen. Wayne Fontana tells The Associated Press that Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf disclosed during a Thursday morning phone call that Pittsburgh was slated for closure.

The administration had previously said it was considering closing two prisons, but Fontana says the final decision was to shutter just one.

The number of state inmates has fallen by 2,400 since mid-2012.

State officials had announced earlier this month that five prisons were among those that could close.

At that time, they said closing Pittsburgh posed a challenge because it serves as a diagnostic and classification center, as well as housing medical services such as a cancer treatment unit.