CASE STUDY - FILLMORE PRISON

The town of Fillmore, Utah is a quiet community of 2,000 residents whose primary occupation is farming. There are a few motels and stores and a small industrial park with a few light industry companies, including a mushroom packing plant, but no major businesses. The town has not grown significantly in the last few decades and that's the way most folks like it.

The state of Utah needs a new prison. One of the companies bidding to build the prison has picked a location within a mile of Fillmore and has obtained the rights to buy the land and build a prison there.

Public hearings have been held to debate the pros and cons of building the prison in Fillmore, which would have a significant impact on the growth of the town. Those opposed to the prison in Fillmore do not want the drastic changes it would bring. They are happy with the quiet little community they have and they do not want a prison or its resultant growth. They are also opposed to the negative connotation it would bring to the town, to the potential danger it imposes, and to the general presence of the type of people associated with prisons.

Proponents of the prison, including the mayor and some members of the city council, say that it would mean a tremendous boost to the tax base and the revenue of the city. The prison itself would generate over $300,000 in revenue annually for Fillmore. It would also provide a few jobs for local people, although most of the trained employees would transfer to Fillmore from other facilities. The city would have some cost related to the prison, such as roads and snow removal, but that would be more than offset by the revenues. Local businesses would get a little boost as well.

Opinion polls of residents show that 58% of the people oppose the prison being built in Fillmore, while 42% favor it. There were no fence sitters on this issue in the polls taken. The feelings are strong on one side of the other. The state representative has vowed to go with the majority opinion, so he will fight to keep the prison out of Fillmore.

1. Should the mayor and city council members approve the plan to build the prison in Fillmore, based upon their desire to improve the city's financial base, in spite of opposition?

2. What, if any, responsibility does the city have to property owners adjacent to the prison site if the prison is built?

3. What, if any, responsibility do opponents of the prison have to suggest and/or implement other means of improving the city's revenue base? Should they be willing to pay higher taxes, for example, to compensate?

4. Can those in favor of status quo keep Fillmore a small town indefinitely? Should they?

5. What should the state do if every proposed site refuses to allow a prison t o be built there?