Prison land buy measure on hold in Philly

Plans for the purchase of land for a new prison in Philadelphia are on hold, as the sponsor of the City Council bill decided the measure warrants further study.

Councilman Bobby Henon sent the bill back to committee Thursday to fully explore all the city’s options for buying land near the prison complex to replace a facility that’s about 140 years old.

“Some of the things I’ve discussed with other members I would like to discuss publicly,” he said. “You will see us putting together a working group over the summer to get to the comfort level of where people want to be.”

Councilman Curtis Jones said he’d like to know more about the $7 million proposal fr purchasing prison property when money is needed for other capital projects.

“There are at least a dozen public schools in Philadelphia that are closing in on 100 years old,” he said.

More money in the schools would, in the long runs, cut costs at the prisons, Jones said.