HARRISBURG – Sen. Cris Dush, R-Brookville, issued a statement regarding the response for information letter he received from the state Department of Corrections (DOC) Secretary Laurel Harry on the proposed closings of SCI Rockview and Quehanna Boot Camp.

Last month, Dush, a retired corrections officer, sent a letter to Harry officially requesting the names of all DOC steering committee members that recommended the closure of both facilities and all supporting documentation of the criteria that was used in determining which correctional institutions to close.

In the closing paragraph, Dush requested a response by close of business on May 2, and reserved the right to exercise subpoena authority to obtain the information, absent a prompt response from the DOC.

“Since my subpoena warning has successfully initiated a response from the DOC, and a promise in writing to disclose responses to those at the hearings and supporting documentation, I am temporarily suspending my plan to pursue the subpoena process,” the senator said.

He continued, “As clearly stated in my April 23 letter to Secretary Harry, as the state senator who represents Bellefonte and as the Chairman of the State Government Committee, which has oversight of the disposition of properties through the Department of General Services, it is my obligation to ensure that the steering committee’s findings were based on accurate and current information.”

Dush stated that should the response be inadequate, he will not hesitate to issue a subpoena. He said he can no longer believe the DOC’s “non-factual assertions about the economic necessity or so-called cost-savings driving the decisions to close SCI Rockview and Quehanna Boot Camp.”

He called for the department to pause any deals and reevaluate their targeted prison closing criteria, “which holds the fate of SCI Rockview, Quehanna Boot Camp, family-sustaining jobs for hundreds of rural citizens, and ultimately public safety, firmly in the crosshairs.”