North Florida communities plead with state leaders to reopen temporarily-closed prisons

Officials in rural areas of North Florida where two prisons have been temporarily shuttered are pleading with state leaders to ensure that the closures aren’t permanent, arguing that the institutions are a vital part of the local economy.

The Department of Corrections on Friday issued a news release announcing temporary closures of Baker Correctional Institution near Sanderson and New River Correctional Institution in Bradford County.…