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Michigan Will Close Prison as Part of Budget Agreement

Capitol building photo
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Lansing Capital Building

Michigan would close a prison to save $19 million in the next fiscal year under a budget agreement struck by lawmakers.

The closure is included in a bill approved unanimously Tuesday by a House-Senate conference committee.

Michigan has 30 prisons, but the number of inmates has been declining.

A Department of Corrections spokesman says agency leaders do not yet know which facility will be closed during the fiscal year starting in October.

A Muskegon-area prison closed earlier this year.

The budget bill headed to final legislative votes also includes $13 million to transition back to having state employees oversee prison food operations instead of a private company.

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