State Correctional Center In Cabarrus Co. To Close

CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C.,None — Channel 9 discovered that a state correctional center in Cabarrus County will be closing at the end of this year.

An internal memo from the superintendent of the Cabarrus Correctional Center, which is located next to the town of Mount Pleasant, says they lost the battle to keep the center open. Now, more than 60 people are uncertain of their future and, come December, the doors will shut.

"We hope we can turn this negative into a positive," said Mount Pleasant Mayor Del Eudy.

Eudy is keeping a positive attitude, but admitted the closure took him by surprise.

"Anytime something like that happens, it has a negative effect on everybody," he said.

For the last 82 years, the Cabarrus Correctional Facility has been in the county. It currently houses 198 low-risk inmates.

The Justice Reinvestment Act that Gov. Bev Perdue signed into law Thursday pointed out the state has too many small prisons.

It will save the state $3 million, but one official said the real impact is on Mount Pleasant.

Town Administrator Adrian Cox said the jobs bring money to the town.

"They're spending money in our community, and that supports our local economy and that has a trickle-down effect on our merchants," Cox said.

At What A Burger 13 on Franklin Street, Natalie Jane Bost said they reap the benefits of having the prison in Cabarrus County.

"They come and visit whoever, and that's a huge (benefit)," Bost said. "We're the only What A Burger open on Sundays, and there's a lot of visitation down there on Sundays."

And while in the last decade, the town of Mount Pleasant has grown in population, it has seen mills shut down and unemployment numbers rise.

The superintendent also says in the memo that there will be a mandatory staff meeting on June 28 where the 63 state workers can find out more information.

More Information: Perdue's news release from Justice Reinvestment launch Justice Reinvestment Budget Report

WSOC