Many people work or have family members who work at Chuckawalla State Prison. So it may come as a surprise to many people that the state would decide to close down Chuckawalla Prison. Many people will be upset that the state would close it down since they have worked there for many years and have built their lives around their job. Now many people will lose their jobs and have it affect their lives and the lives around them. This doesn’t only affect the lives of those at the prison but it may also affect yours. 

How soon is the prison planning on closing down? The state is planning on closing down the prison in March 2025. The State Of California is planning on closing down due to its high cost of maintenance and utilities that need to be provided. Chuckawalla will be one in six prisons closing due to budget concerns.  In this article, we went around asking students how they feel about the prison closing down and asked them if they have any family members who work there.

We went around the school asking students with family members, who work at the prison, a variety of questions about how they felt about the prison closing down. We walked around and found a student who was willing to express how they felt but requested to remain anonymous. We interviewed several students around campus about this news and if they had any family there. We also asked how this affects them and Blythe, and this is what we learned.“ Yes, my uncle works at the prison that’s closing down”  I’m not entirely sure how this affects my uncle, I don’t know, I’m going to guess he’s trying to get a different job or move out of town or something.“ how do I think that it will change Blythe? I think it’s going to change Blythe and the people that live here.”

Another Student we interviewed was Matthew who has a tia who works at the prison. We asked him the same set of questions as the ones before and this is what he thought about it. “ Yeah I know my tia works at the prison, So I don’t like that they’re closing down the prison, but I haven’t seen my tia in a while and I remember her saying something about her wanting to retire. So Maybe my tia will just retire.”

Overall this is concerning for families who have loved ones working at the prison. Many students have family members or know people who work at the prison. This is horrible news for those who are going to lose their jobs or be forced to move out of Blythe. Many students have concerns about their family and friends who are going through this. The shutting of the prison won’t only hurt those who work there but the members of our community.