By KATIE MARSHALL
STAFF WRITER
MAURY —James Fulghum enjoyed his meal at Maury Correctional Institution on Tuesday, but he couldn’t stomach the thought of eating there regularly.
“I hope this is the last time I have to eat here,” Fulghum, a Greene County commissioner, joked during the lunch that wrapped up the prison dedication ceremony.
Fulghum and other county officials joined state officials and legislators for the official opening ceremony of the $77 million maximum-security prison, the fourth of six planned 1,000-bed prisons to be built in the state’s efforts to deal with a growing prison population.
Maury, the 77th state prison, is Greene County’s third state correctional facility, along with minimum- and medium security prisons in Maury that together house about 1,000 inmates.
“We spent a lot of money here and we will continue to spend a lot of money in Greene County,” said Boyd Bennett, director of prisons for the state.
For Fulghum and other county officials, the numbers that matter most reflect the impact on the state facilities of the county’s economy. The new prison has added 450 jobs in a county that, like many others in rural Eastern North Carolina, has difficulty attracting industries of that size.
“It’s not the best paying jobs, but they do have great benefits,” Fulghum said.
Theodis Beck, secretary of the state Department of Correction (DOC), said Maury prison is a symbol for the community, the state and the DOC.
“This is an economic opportunity for the county and to inmates; This will be a reality check and reminder that crime does not pay,” he said. (more…)
Raleigh, NC
