State prisons under consideration for closure include Frackville, Waymart, Mercer, Pittsburgh and Retreat.

Here's a bit about each, according to the state Department of Corrections:• SCI Frackville, in Schuylkill County, opened in 1987 and houses adult male offenders. As of Nov. 30, it housed 1,151 inmates. Its population is capped at 1,125, so it is at 102.3 percent of capacity.• SCI Retreat, in Luzerne County, opened in 1988. Formerly a state hospital for the mentally ill operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Retreat now houses adult male offenders. As of Nov. 30, it housed 1,132 inmates. Its population is capped at 1,104, so it is at 102.5 percent of capacity.• SCI Waymart, in Wayne County, is in a building complex that was formerly part of Farview State Hospital. Pressed into operation ahead of schedule to help deal with the aftermath of the October 1989 riot at SCI Camp Hill, the joint on-site operation of a state prison and state mental health facility was unique in Pennsylvania at that time. In October 1995, Farview State Hospital was transferred from the Department of Human Services to the Department of Corrections, turning the facility into a prison. The facility also houses the Department's Forensic Treatment Center, a unit which houses mentally disabled male inmates who require inpatient psychiatric care and treatment.As of Nov. 30, it housed 1,382 inmates. Its population is capped at 1,522, so it is at 85.5 percent of capacity.• SCI Mercer, in Mercer County, opened in September 1978. It originally opened to offer programs to county prisoners with minimum sentences of six months and maximum sentences of two years. When the prison's mission changed in the mid-1980s, it became a prison for adult male offenders.As of Nov. 30, it housed 1,429 inmates. Its population is capped at 1,494, so it is at 95.6 percent of capacity.• SCI Pittsburgh, in Allegheny County, opened in 1882. Known to locals as "Western Pen," the prison was put into "mothball" status in January 2005, when the final group of inmates was transferred to other prisons in the state. The administration building was renovated to serve as a community corrections center for approximately 80 residents. The building also houses community corrections offices. The prison was reopened in June 2007 to help the department deal with its ever-increasing inmate population. It houses adult male offenders.As of Nov. 30, it housed 1,866 inmates. Its population is capped at 1,803, so it is at 103.5 percent of capacity.Closed state prisons include:• SCI Waynesburg in Greene County. Originally a youth development center operated by the state Department of Public Welfare, Waynesburg was converted to a minimum-security facility for adult females in July 1984. It operated as such until 1992, when the prison was converted to an adult male facility. At that time all females were transferred to SCI Cambridge Springs in Crawford County. The prison remained open, housing about 450 inmates and employing 220 individuals, until 2003. In July 2005, then-Gov. Ed Rendell signed a bill that transferred ownership of the 117-acre prison to Basalt Trap Rock Company for $990,000.• SCI Cresson, in Cambria County, opened in 1987. It is a former center for the mentally ill, operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. It was converted into a facility for adult male offenders. This facility was closed June 30, 2013.• SCI Greensburg, in Westmoreland County, opened in 1969 as the first regional correctional facility, holding mostly short-term offenders. On May 1, 1986, the State Regional Correctional Facility at Greensburg was redesignated "SCI Greensburg" by Governor's Proclamation. The purpose of the change was to permit housing of a greater number of state sentenced inmates - a necessity with the growing inmate population. This facility, which housed adult male offenders, closes on June 30, 2013.