The Pennsylvania De­­part­­­ment of Corrections announced Friday that it will close the State Correctional Institution at Rockview and the Quehanna Boot Camp.

The closure process will begin immediately as DOC leadership will be visiting the prison and boot camp to discuss the closure directly with staff, according to a news release.

Republican Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr., whose district includes Cambria and Clearfield counties and a portion of Centre, said the decision to close the facilities “is shortsighted and destructive, with real-world consequences for our community.”

DOC Secretary Laurel R. Harry, who submitted the official recommendation earlier this week to Gov. Josh Shapiro and House and Senate leaders, said the move will save the state up to $100 million in future fiscal years.

Key factors in the decision to close SCI Rockview and the Quehanna Boot Camp include a decline in the incarcerated population and aligning department resources with current needs, Harry said in a news release.

The report, available on the Mirror’s website at https://tinyurl.com/4rty9ssz, said the DOC incarcerated population has been steadily declining since 2012, with a high of 51,000 to his current number of about 38,000.

In a statement issued after the decision was announced, Langerholc said the “closure is more than a policy decision, it is a betrayal of the men and women who depend on these jobs, of the corrections officers who have dedicated their lives to protecting the public, of the families who rely on strong schools, and of the communities that deserve to live in safety.”

The DOC held public meetings before making a final decision. The more than 1,000-page report presented to Shapiro and other lawmakers outlined the results of those meetings, the concerns from the public and the analysis reports.

Loss of jobs was a top concern, according to the report.

Every employee at SCI Rockview and Quehanna Boot Camp is guaranteed a job offer at their existing pay and classification levels, Harry said in the release.

Another concern the DOC considered was the impact on employees’ drive time to work at a new location.

A study found that, based on home addresses, the current average one-way drive time for boot camp workers is 57 minutes, with a minimum of about seven minutes and a maximum of 182 minutes.

The drive-time analysis for those working at Rockview found the average commute to be about 41 minutes, with a minimum drive time of about four minutes and a maximum drive time of about 126 minutes.

Depending upon employee placement following the closures, their drive times may be reduced, the report states.

The report also includes information on how the closures could affect the community, including the possible ripple effect of residents moving to be closer to new positions, loss of tax revenue and loss of customers at nearby businesses.

“Despite bipartisan efforts in the Senate to preserve and modernize the Quehanna Boot Camp, the Governor and Secretary chose to side with a misguided plan that ignores the voices of the people of Clearfield and Centre counties,” Langerholc said in a statement. “They chose bureaucrats over citizens, political expedience over sound policy, and ideology over common sense.”

Moving forward with the plan, Harry said the prison’s population will be gradually transferred to facilities that best meet their individualized programming, security, health care and other needs. Boot Camp and other specialized programming and housing units will be relocated to other facilities and continue to operate.