Commissioners agree to keep Gwinnett prison open

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Tuesday formally accepted a staff recommendation not to close the county prison.

The commission accepted the findings of a staff report that concluded Gwinnett would not save money by closing the prison. It would have to expand the county jail, pay to house some prisoners elsewhere and give up inmate labor used for a variety of work.

The report said Gwinnett should expand the use of inmate labor to save money. Inmates provided 110,640 hours of labor worth an estimated $1.3 million in 2010.