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MAF Blogger Danny
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Bad news today for residents of Standish, Mich. especially those who work in the prison. It looks like the plan to bring prisoners over from the California correctional system has died due to budget shortfalls.

California just does not have the money to pay Michigan to house it’s criminals. So now we are one step closer to bringing GITMO to Michigan, as the residents of Standish will now be more desperate to find SOME use for the facility.

Although it’s not clear that keeping Standish prison open by taking on GITMO prisoners would even result in the residents of that town keeping their jobs. Perhaps a portion of it’s current employees could stay but the facility would most likely be run by federal employees and military personnel.

Here is the rest from the Detroit Free Press:

LANSING—California won’t be sending its state prisoners to fill the maximum security prison in Standish, Gov. Jennifer Granholm said today.

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Granholm said she was notified by California officials Monday night that they would not agree to pay Michigan to house its inmates because of that state’s budget constraints.

“I was very disappointed; the discussions we had were very constructive,” Granholm said at a news conference where she announced more commercial development tax breaks around the state. “I believe we will find another use for that facility, and keep those jobs in the area.”

While Granholm had negotiated with California for its prisoners as a way to keep open the Standish facility — which she has ordered closed as a cost-cutting measure — the federal government has eyed the prison as a possible detention center for Guantanamo Bay prisoners captured in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Granholm said while that remains a possibility, President Barack Obama would not force it on any state that objects.

Link: http://www.freep.com/article/20090818/NEWS06/90818052/1318/Granholm--California-can-t-pay-to-send-inmates-here