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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania corrections officials tell state senators that the proposed closure of two prisons isn’t politically designed to squeeze more money out of a tax-averse Legislature amid a massive budget deficit.

Monday’s joint Senate committee hearing comes four days before the Department of Corrections is to announce which two prisons it’ll close. The state Capitol hearing is packed with corrections officers and their supporters who are pressing lawmakers to oppose the closings.

Corrections officials say they’re trying to save money and that they expect the inmate population to continue dropping. But Corrections Secretary John Wetzel is objecting to senators’ suggestions that the move is a political stunt. Corrections officials say they can close two prisons without jeopardizing anyone’s security.

Meanwhile, the parole population is growing.

The target date to close is July 1.

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By MARC LEVY

Associated Press