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NBC News report looks at ‘deadly math’ of opioid crisis in Luzerne County

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Luzerne County prison inmates to receive help with mental health issues

<p>NANTICOKE<strong> &#8212; </strong>A conference call held by state Sen. John Yudichak and state Rep. Gerald Mullery made clear their opposition to the potential closure of the State Correctional Institution at Retreat in Newport Township.</p><p>During the call, which took place on Monday morning with the Department of Corrections, both lawmakers declared that closing SCI-Retreat will unfairly harm 400 prison employees, create excessive hardships for Newport Township, exacerbate already high unemployment in Luzerne County and yield minimal if any savings to state taxpayers when compared with other cost-saving measures, according to a press release.</p><p>&#8220;If you are going to rip $57 million and 400 jobs out of Luzerne County, our workers and taxpayers at least deserve a public hearing to make their case that SCI- Retreat should remain open,&#8221; Yudichak said in the release.</p><p>The two have joined with a bi-partisan coalition of regional lawmakers and the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officer Association in requesting that the Department of Corrections to suspend any final decision on prison closures until public hearings are held to accommodate legislative and public input.</p><p>Mullery said in the release that Pennsylvania has closed prisons before in an effort to save money, but the savings never materialized as much as public officials had projected.</p><p>&#8220;In 2013, DOC closed two prisons because they were deemed expendable, but the Commonwealth could not resell the properties quickly and eventually accepted lower sales prices,&#8221; he said, &#8220;In fact, SCI-Greensburg remained vacant until February 2015, which required $2.5 million in additional upkeep while it sat unused.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_Yudichak-John-7.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Yudichak </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_Yudichak-John-7.jpg</photo0><caption0>Yudichak </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Times Leader staff</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Yudichak, Mullery hold conference call about prison closings