How has the prison culture and economy affected Ossining, where Sing Sing is located?
Ossining isn’t typical; it’s not like 99 percent of the other prison towns in New York, because the prison has been there since 1825. There was a tiny village, so from the very beginning, the prison dominated town life. It’s a smaller factor now, mainly because correction officers can’t afford to live in town. I don’t know how much the prison adds to the local economy, but they all complain that it doesn’t pay taxes on this prime real estate it occupies. I know that most small in towns in New York State do want to have prisons, for the economic development reasons. I just saw a really good documentary film, called “Yes, In My Back Yard,” which is about how these small towns have been vying to get places that are, in a sense, toxic waste dumps, placed in their own towns. There’s clearly desperation behind that desire. You don’t want that if you can get anything else. There are quite a few questions that could come out of that idea. Is it simply a quick fix for the town? Will the crimina
