[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 4 (Monday, January 9, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E60-E61]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                LORTON CORRECTIONAL COMPLEX CLOSURE ACT

                                 ______


                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, January 9, 1995

  Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, this year, we have a real opportunity to 
resolve the issue of the Lorton prison.
  When Lorton was first constructed, it was intended to house 60 
inmates in rural Fairfax County. Today, the Lorton correctional complex 
is a 3,000 acre site in suburban Fairfax [[Page E61]] County housing 
more than 7,000 prisoners. Fairfax County can no longer safely house a 
prison. The communities surrounding the prison have grown too large and 
as they continue to press on the boundaries of the prison, the safety 
of the residents is being compromised.
  Another important issue driving this legislation is the question of 
whether resources are available within the District of Columbia to 
operate a large prison. The District is not a State. It does not have 
the resources or the tax base to manage State functions such as 
operating prisons. In the past 10 years, the population of the prison 
has more than doubled while the budget has remained constant. The D.C. 
Department of Corrections is jamming prisoners into cells and 
dormitories that cannot correctly house them. We have heard reports of 
unsafe housing practices at the Lorton facility, where high security 
prisoners are being kept in dormitory style facilities. We have also 
heard reports of improper safety procedures, where there are not enough 
guards to correctly and safely monitor the prison. The Lorton prison 
has literally become a power keg with too many prisoners in too little 
room with too little supervision. We should not and cannot wait for an 
incident to occur before we act. We should not put our constituents who 
live near the prison or who work at the prison at such risk.
  In the mid-1980's, Jack Anderson wrote a column calling the Lorton 
prison a ``finishing school'' for criminals. Since that time, the 
problem has become worse. The D.C. Department of Corrections cannot 
afford to offer even the most basic rehabilitation services. Inmates 
who leave the system are no better than when they entered. In many 
cases, they are worse off. It is no coincidence that on the same day 
last month, articles ran in the newspapers reporting the cancellation 
of the drug treatment program in Lorton and the arrest of a guard 
trying to bring crack cocaine into the complex.
  It is simply unacceptable for us to allow this situation to continue. 
Our communities deserve to be free of crime, not subject to criminals 
who continue to move in and out of the system. The inmates themselves 
should be given the tools to cure their addictions and begin their 
lives anew, free of crime. The current situation does little to deter 
or prevent crime or recidivism. With this legislation, we have the 
opportunity to move the District's prisoners into a prison system which 
rehabilitates inmates, treats drug abuse, and breaks the cycle of crime 
and recidivism. We must seize that opportunity.
  This has been and will continue to be a true bipartisan effort. The 
legislation we are introducing combines the best pieces of previous 
efforts and improves upon them. It offers a rational and realistic 
method for closing the facility that does not penalize the District of 
Columbia. It establishes the mechanism for the local community to 
determine the future of the property. Through the Commission that this 
legislation establishes, the local community can ensure that the area's 
open spaces are kept and the impact on local traffic is minimized.
  We have an historic opportunity to work together and close the Lorton 
facility. We must take advantage of this opportunity.

                     [Press Release, Jan. 9, 1995]

    Moran, Wolf, Davis Introduce Legislation To Close Lorton Prison

       Washington, DC.--Today, U.S. Representatives Jim Moran, 
     Frank Wolf and Tom Davis introduced legislation to close the 
     Lorton Correctional Complex and relocate the current inmates 
     to existing federal prisons.
       ``This year, we have a real opportunity to resolve the 
     issue of the prison at Lorton,'' Moran said. ``Today, the 
     Lorton Correctional Complex is a 3,000 acre site in suburban 
     Fairfax County housing more than 7,000 prisoners. In the last 
     decade, the communities surrounding the prison have grown 
     larger. The safety of the residents is being compromised--the 
     prison must be closed.''
       The legislation calls for an eleven member commission that 
     would oversee the closing of Lorton and allow those concerned 
     about development of the property to have a voice in the 
     process. Many Lorton residents fear that if the facility is 
     closed, it will be replaced with 3,000 acres of houses, roads 
     and traffic that will choke the area with congestion. Moran 
     explained, ``I understand their concerns, but I do not think 
     that we should continue an intolerable situation because we 
     fear the alternative.''
       Rep. Moran had introduced legislation during the 103rd 
     Congress that would turn control of Lorton over to the 
     Federal Bureau of Prisons. He feels that this legislation, 
     introduced by all three Northern Virginia legislators, 
     combines the best pieces of previous efforts and improves 
     upon them. ``This legislation offers a rational and realistic 
     method for closing the facility that does not penalize the 
     District of Columbia and establishes a mechanism for the 
     local community to determine the future of the property,'' 
     Moran said. ``This is an historic opportunity to work 
     together to close this facility. We must take advantage of 
     it.''

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