DOC to close New Castle County community corrections facility

Wilmington, DE - The Delaware Department of Correction announced today that it will close the century-old Plummer Community Corrections Center (PCCC) in Wilmington, citing factors that include the continued decades-long drop in the number of individuals sentenced to DOC community corrections supervision, the excessive capacity of DOC's underutilized community corrections facilities, and the prohibitive costs of maintaining the DOC's oldest correctional facility. PCCC will close by March 2026, saving Delaware taxpayers millions of dollars every year.

All DOC employees currently assigned to PCCC will transfer to other facilities to fill existing vacancies and needs, and all individuals housed at PCCC at the time of its closure will be transferred to other community corrections facilities or may be considered for home confinement or electronic monitoring, if appropriate.

"The Department of Correction owes it to our people, to the communities we serve, and to our state's leaders to operate efficiently and effectively, providing the highest level of service in an appropriate setting while protecting public safety," said Department of Correction Commissioner Terra Taylor. "The decision to close the Plummer Community Corrections Center meets this obligation. It will save our state government money, allow us to reduce critical staff vacancies and reliance on overtime at other correctional facilities, open opportunities for the Department to make new investments in training and reentry support across community corrections facilities, and leverage our home confinement and electronic monitoring program where appropriate to safely and effectively supervise individuals who are classified to community supervision."

Statewide, over the past two decades the number of individuals sentenced to Level 4 quasi-incarceration and housed in Delaware's community corrections facilities has dropped by more than 70%, from approximately 1,300 in 2008 to 369 today. That reduction is driven by a variety of factors including criminal justice reform, lower crime rates, judicial diversion programs, and DOC's investment in technology to effectively and safely monitor these individuals through home confinement and electronic monitoring. Driven by this trend, the DOC has already closed two Level 4 community corrections facilities in Dover and Georgetown to better align its operational footprint with the resident population and to more efficiently use its limited operational and maintenance funding. DOC's four community corrections facilities today have the capacity to house 845 residents - that's more than double the capacity needed. That excessive capacity prompted an extensive review and evaluation process that led to today's announcement.

The Plummer Community Corrections Center sits on a 2-acre property in a residential neighborhood along Market Street on Wilmington's eastside and is DOC's oldest facility, with two of its seven buildings constructed in 1900 and 1921. It currently houses approximately 100 individuals and operates with 62 assigned Department of Correction staff, plus contracted healthcare employees. PCCC was not designed to modern standards, is not ADA compliant, and is in continuous need of repairs that place a strain on the Department's limited maintenance budget. Over the next 24 months alone the DOC anticipates spending more than $3.9 million of its non-capital maintenance funds on just four PCCC projects to sustain health and safety standards, including resident shower renovations, HVAC system operations, construction of an ADA-compliant entrance, and replacement of fire exit stairs.

Individuals housed at the Plummer Community Corrections Center at the time of its closure will be transferred to either the Sussex Community Corrections Center (SCCC) in Georgetown or the Community Corrections Treatment Center, DOC's statewide Level 4 facility that offers comprehensive Substance Use Disorder Treatment in Smyrna. Both are modern facilities and are situated on a campus setting near Georgetown. SCCC is designed to modern standards that promote safety, security, functionality, and rehabilitation. SCCC offers housing, programming, and instructional spaces that host a variety of vocational skill training programs including industry-recognized culinary training, carpentry and construction trades, auto repair, maintenance and detailing, a welding shop, a butcher shop, and an aquaponics program. The DOC will leverage the closure of PCCC, the transfer of its staff, and related cost savings to make new investments in practical in-demand career training at SCCC, along with GED and educational instruction, to support job and career opportunities. Planning for these new investments has already begun.