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Mayor Kenney Tours House Of Correction

by Pat Loeb

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney went to prison Monday. It was a fact-finding tour at the House of Correction, which some city officials want to replace. The mayor, however, is still not convinced.

The house of correction is 90 years old and lacks such essentials as a fire suppression system, according to prisons spokesperson Shawn Hawes.

"We're trying to make sure our staff is safe, inmates are safe. Right now, it's pretty comfortable in here, for example, but in the summer, the temperatures can reach over 100 degrees," he said.

Hawes says it was the mayor's first visit, and prison officials thought a look at conditions might convince the mayor to consider replacing the building. But while Kenney agreed it shouldn't be housing inmates, he also doesn't think it should be replaced.

"Try to figure out a way, with the MacArthur grant, to get through our situation and reduce this population so this building can be put away as part of history," said Mayor Kenney.

The MacArthur Foundation has given the city $3.5 million to reduce the total prison population, roughly 7000, by a third, with bail alternatives and other diversion techniques. That would mean 2,000 fewer prisons.

"There's 1100 people in there, and that's the range of what we're trying to do with MacArthur. A great percentage of them simply can't make bail. Part of MacArthur is trying to find out what we do with bail reform so that these folks can be out under supervision, under monitoring, getting drug treatment, getting job training, and hopefully a job," Kenney said.

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