Recently in Corrections Category

Source: By Steve Terrell, The New Mexican, May 24, 2007

New Mexico pays significantly more than nearby states to house inmates in private prisons, according to a report presented Wednesday to state lawmakers. The 100-page audit (.pdf) by a Legislative Finance Committee review team says New Mexico's private-prison spending rose 57 percent in the past six years, while the inmate population increased only 21 percent.

….. The major private prison operator in the state is The GEO Group, which operates facilities in Hobbs and Santa Rosa and will operate a prison being built in Clayton.

Source: Associated Press (IN), May 23, 2007 04:20 PM

Investigators on Wednesday turned over to a prosecutor their report on a prison riot a month ago, saying inmates could be charged with rioting, battery and other crimes.

……. The medium-security prison is located near New Castle about 45 miles east of Indianapolis. Since January 2006, it's been managed by Boca Raton, Fla.-based GEO Group. The company also has a state contract to house up to 1,200 inmates from Arizona's overcrowded prison system.

Source: By JENNIFER LIBERTO, St Petersburg Times (FL), May 3, 2007

Three months after Gov. Charlie Crist ordered an investigation of some $4.5-million in overpayments to two companies that operate private prisons for the state, those same companies will be the only ones permitted to bid on expanding and building another facility.

....... Those companies are GEO Group of Boca Raton and Corrections Corp. of America of Nashville. Two state audits have indicated the state had paid GEO Group and CCA more than $4.5-million for vacant jobs and other questionable expenses. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now investigating.

Source: Indianapolis Star, May 3, 2007

Our position: Riot raises questions, but answers are few pending an investigation.

Last week's New Castle prison riot occurred as the debate rages over Gov. Mitch Daniels' government reform efforts. That makes getting to the heart of the matter even more crucial. If the administration didn't exercise proper oversight over the privatization of the prison, other deals, including the handoff of the state's welfare operations to IBM struck last October, will be under even more scrutiny.

The director of Arizona's Department of Corrections, concerned that just 37 officers were supervising 630 of its prisoners, attempted to halt transfers from its prisons to New Castle just days before the incident occurred.

Another red flag was raised by reports of employees at the prison itself, who say that GEO deployed non-trained staffers to serve as guards.

Source: By Tim Evans, Karen Eschbacher and Vic Ryckaert, Indianapolis Star (IN), April 24, 2007

State officials will temporarily halt the transfer of Arizona prisoners to the New Castle Correctional Facility after a riot Tuesday that prompted calls for an end to housing another state's inmates in Indiana. Department of Correction officials said nine people -- two prison employees and seven inmates -- suffered minor injuries in separate disturbances involving Arizona and Indiana prisoners during a two-hour period Tuesday afternoon at the facility 50 miles east of Indianapolis.

....... The New Castle prison is state-owned, but Indiana contracts with GEO Group of Florida to operate it.

Source: MSEA News, Vol. 15 no. 4, April 2007

In a recent Arbitration decision, the Michigan State Employees Association (MSEA) aggressively protected bargaining unit work that was temporarily taken from our membership. The temporary loss of this work resulted in financial loss to our members who had job duties and work schedules changed as a result of this management decision.

Source: By PAUL DAVENPORT Association Press (AZ), March 16, 2007, 5:38PM

Efforts to relieve Arizona's shortage of prison space were dealt a setback when procurement officials canceled a competition between the state Department of Corrections and three private prison companies to provide up to 3,000 new beds.

None of the proposals met a requirement to open 1,000 of the beds by April, 2008, the State Procurement Office said in a formal notice canceling the state's request for proposals.

Source: The Associated Press (TX), March 8, 2007, 3:15AM

The state's probe into sexual abuse allegations in the Texas youth prison system resulted in the firing of a correctional officer when investigators discovered he was a convicted sex offender.

David Andrew Lewis, 23, was fired Wednesday from the Texas Youth Commission's Coke County Juvenile Justice Center, several newspapers reported. The all-male facility, which is run by the private contractor GEO Group, is about 30 miles northeast of San Angelo in the town of Bronte.

Source: By Steven K. Paulson, Associated Press (CO), Mar 6, 2007 9:46 am US/Mountain

A state lawmaker called on the Department of Corrections to rescind a contract for a private prison in Ault, saying the company failed to deliver on a previous contract and never should have been allowed to bid on the new 1,500-bed facility.

Rep. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West, said GEO Group lost its contract to build a detention facility in Pueblo because it delayed the start of construction, then tried to renegotiate its contract to get a guarantee that it would be paid for 90 percent occupancy, even if beds were not filled.

Source: Associated Press (AZ), Feb. 8, 2007 06:04 PM

Three private companies will compete with each other and - for the first time - the state Department of Corrections to provide 3,000 new prison beds to help house Arizona's bulging prison population. ….. However, it was Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano who insisted that the DOC be allowed to compete for the chance to provide the 3,000 minimum-security beds.

....... Arizona already has 4,200 state inmates in private prisons, including 1,400 housed in Oklahoma, out of a total prison population of approximately 35,000.

...... Along with the Corrections Department, three private prison operators submitted sealed proposals by Thursday's deadline for all or some of the 3,000 beds: GEO Group Inc., based a Boca Raton, Fla.; Management & Training Corp. of Centerville, Utah, and Nashville, Tenn.-based Corrections Corporation of America.