Gov. Gavin Newsom Announces First Steps Toward Closing State Prison in Tracy

Shuttering of Deuel Vocational Institution a Milestone in California’s Ongoing Effort to Safely Reduce Incarceration, Prioritize Investments in Prevention, Community Safety and Well-Being

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

September 25, 2020

CONTACT:

Will Matthews, Californians for Safety and Justice, (909) 261-1398; [email protected]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced the Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy will be the first state owned and operated prison to be closed as part of a plan outlined in the state budget signed into law in June to shutter two prisons by 2023.  

The budget proposes closing one facility beginning in 2021-2022 and a second facility beginning in 2022-2023, while maintaining Newsom’s plan to close all private, in-state contract correctional facilities for male prisoners in 2020-2021.

The following can be attributed to Jay Jordan, executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice:

“Californians from all walks of life – rural, urban, conservative and liberal – all agree: spending billions upon billions of dollars on prisons is wasteful. It harms safety and takes money away from prevention, schools and economic development. Many decades of out-of-control spending on prisons has been undermining public safety by exacerbating recidivism and the destabilization of communities while failing to stop cycles of crime. We congratulate Gov. Newsom for making good on his commitment to rebalance our safety budget in a way that aligns with what all Californians want.”