Parson wants shuttered prison to become training academy
![Gov. Parson speaks during his 2021 State of the State speech on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021.](https://abc17news.b-cdn.net/abc17news.com/2021/01/state-of-the-state.png)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gov. Mike Parson has proposed transforming a shuttered northwest Missouri prison into a training ground for incoming correctional officers.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Parson’s recently unveiled budget plan includes $671,714 to convert the idled Crossroads Correctional Center in Cameron into an academy where would-be prison guards can get more real-world experience before being assigned to one of the state’s 20 lock-ups.
The state has training academies in Jefferson City, St. Joseph and Farmington.
Those facilities may be consolidated once the conversion is complete.