The state Department of Correction is exploring the feasibility of closing a prison after being directed by Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Friday to consider a consolidation plan. Rell cited the decline in the inmate population, the agency's success with a number of post-release programs and the need to find savings and efficiencies in state government.

Rell cited the decline in the inmate population, the agency's success with a number of post-release programs and the need to find savings and efficiencies in state government. "The fact that we are at a point to realistically consider closing a prison is a testament to DOC's effectiveness in carrying out its mission, one of the most difficult in state government," Rell wrote in a letter Friday to acting DOC Commissioner Brian Murphy.

"The fact that we are at a point to realistically consider closing a prison is a testament to DOC's effectiveness in carrying out its mission, one of the most difficult in state government," Rell wrote in a letter Friday to acting DOC Commissioner Brian Murphy. Connecticut has 18 prisons, three of them in southeastern Connecticut. The Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center in Montville is a consolidated facility with an unusual mix of inmates, including those who are unsentenced and others with short- or long-term sentences. The inmate population as of July 2009 was 1,528.

Connecticut has 18 prisons, three of them in southeastern Connecticut. The Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center in Montville is a consolidated facility with an unusual mix of inmates, including those who are unsentenced and others with short- or long-term sentences. The inmate population as of July 2009 was 1,528. Janet S. York Correctional Institution in Niantic, the only women's prison in the state, had a population of 1,239 women, both sentenced and unsentenced, according to its annual report published in July.

Janet S. York Correctional Institution in Niantic, the only women's prison in the state, had a population of 1,239 women, both sentenced and unsentenced, according to its annual report published in July. J.B. Gates Correctional Institution in Niantic is a men's minimum-security prison that has seen the most dramatic drop in population this year, from 1,154 last year to 885 now.

J.B. Gates Correctional Institution in Niantic is a men's minimum-security prison that has seen the most dramatic drop in population this year, from 1,154 last year to 885 now. Department spokesman Brian Garnett said there is no list of facilities that will be considered for consolidation. He would not speculate as to whether Gates would be one of the prisons targeted.

Department spokesman Brian Garnett said there is no list of facilities that will be considered for consolidation. He would not speculate as to whether Gates would be one of the prisons targeted. Garnett said senior staff will begin analyzing the steps to be taken but will make sure that the safety of the staff and inmates is a priority.

Garnett said senior staff will begin analyzing the steps to be taken but will make sure that the safety of the staff and inmates is a priority. Rell requested that the DOC make its recommendation to her by Nov. 27. In her letter, however, the governor underscored her intention to reopen any closed prisons should the need arise.

Rell requested that the DOC make its recommendation to her by Nov. 27. In her letter, however, the governor underscored her intention to reopen any closed prisons should the need arise. "With troubling deficit estimates still a reality, it is incumbent upon us to thoroughly examine any and all savings in state spending, but if we again need the space and must reopen a prison, we absolutely will," Rell said.

"With troubling deficit estimates still a reality, it is incumbent upon us to thoroughly examine any and all savings in state spending, but if we again need the space and must reopen a prison, we absolutely will," Rell said. According to the DOC, the state's inmate population is currently about 18,500, down from a record high of nearly 19,900 in February 2008. The agency attributed the decrease, in part, to the success of some re-entry programs that allow offenders to return to productive lives and the stepped-up pace of the now full-time parole board.

According to the DOC, the state's inmate population is currently about 18,500, down from a record high of nearly 19,900 in February 2008. The agency attributed the decrease, in part, to the success of some re-entry programs that allow offenders to return to productive lives and the stepped-up pace of the now full-time parole board. Earlier this year, the DOC said it expected to save almost $2 million by consolidating two small dormitory buildings at Gates. The consolidation, because of a drop in inmate population, marked the first major closing of buildings in the state's prison system in recent years.

Earlier this year, the DOC said it expected to save almost $2 million by consolidating two small dormitory buildings at Gates. The consolidation, because of a drop in inmate population, marked the first major closing of buildings in the state's prison system in recent years. The closed buildings were built in the 1930s and used whenever a rise in prison population made it necessary, according to Garnett. Inmates who were housed in those buildings were moved to the main compound.

The closed buildings were built in the 1930s and used whenever a rise in prison population made it necessary, according to Garnett. Inmates who were housed in those buildings were moved to the main compound. a.renczkowski@theday.com

a.renczkowski@theday.com