Resolution 060864

..Title Affirming Council's objection and opposition to the proposed re-opening and re-usage of Holmesburg Prison to house over 250 prisoners due to overcrowding in the Philadelphia Prison Systems. ..Body WHEREAS, Holmesburg Prison, located at 8215 Torresdale Avenue, is proposed to house an additional 250 prisoners from the Philadelphia Prisons Systems, that is now reaching a capacity of over 9,000 inmates; and WHEREAS, Holmesburg Prison opened in 1896 and served as a key confinement facility for the Philadelphia Prison System until it was closed in 1995 due to not only its below par conditions but also the opening of the newly constructed, state of the art Curran-Frumhold Prison, named after Holmesburg Prison Warden Patrick N. Curran and Deputy Robert F. Fromhold, killed in a 1973 inmate attack; and WHEREAS, On July 22, 2006, 80 inmates were housed in the Holmesburg Prison gymnasium in efforts to reduce overcrowding in the rest of the Philadelphia Prison System's facilities; and WHEREAS, These 80 inmates where housed in Holmesburg Prison while they were being processed and where reported by the Philadelphia Prison System not to be under high bail or protective custody, and that the City of Philadelphia was in a settlement deal with other counties to house inmates in their facilities; and WHEREAS, Commissioner Leon King III, quoted in an article in The Northeast Times Newspaper on August 3, 2006 stated, "My intentions are to close it (Holmesburg Prison) as soon as possible..." King also promised to cap the prisoner population at Holmesburg at 80 inmates; and WHEREAS, However, against the desperate wishes and alarming concerns of the immediately impacted Holmesburg community, residents, businesses, civic and local organizations and leaders, an additional 250 plus inmates are proposed to be transported to Holmesburg Prison and housed there due to overcrowding numbers in other facilities; now therefore RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, We call on the Philadelphia Prison System to cease and desist the proposal of holding and housing of inmates at the Holmesburg Prison facility. ..End