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| AKDOC looking to house Prisoners |
| By ADN.Com |
| Published: 05/04/2009 |
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State goes bargain hunting for place to ship prisoners $20 MILLION: Contract with Arizona outfit is almost up, and there is no shortage of suitors. By MEGAN HOLLAND But bargain prisons? The Alaska Department of Corrections thinks so. The department currently sends 868, or 20 percent, of its inmates to a private prison in Arizona because it doesn't have enough prison beds here. The contract with that rented prison is almost up, so Corrections is shopping around for a better deal. "This is driven by our own want, our own need, to be responsible with public money," said Corrections Commissioner Joe Schmidt. He said he's looking for "what the market might offer us right now." The opportunity to grab the $20 million-a-year deal from the current contractor, Corrections Corp. of America, is attracting both private and state-run prisons. Alaska officials have already visited potential sites in Colorado and Minnesota and expect to visit more as the bids come in, Schmidt said. States like Nevada, in fiscal trouble and considering releasing some of their own prisoners, are taking an interest. Administrators of a new 464-bed prison in Hardin, Mont., say they plan to bid for some of Alaska's business. Hardin made the national news recently when it offered to house detainees from Guantanamo Bay. Greg Smith, head of an economic development agency in Hardin, thinks the Alaska contract could create jobs in his small town. He said he's been calling Alaska prison officials "as often as I can without bugging them." "We would love to be able to take care of your inmates," Smith said. Schmidt, whose department so far hasn't had to make painful recession cuts, said the contract will go to whoever offers the best deal for good security and treatment programs. "You see, we want to do more, but we don't want to pay more," the commissioner said. Schmidt has been pushing the department in a new direction since he was appointed by Gov. Sarah Palin in 2006, advocating for more inmate education, treatment programs and vocational training. His goal, he says, is to reduce the state's high recidivism rate -- three out of five prisoners are re-arrested for a new offense after leaving prison. The number of inmates in the United States boomed in the 1980s and 1990s, in part because of high crime rates and stiffened sentencing laws, particularly for drug offenders, according to the Pew Center on the States. Alaska's prison population also swelled during that time. In the mid-1990s, Alaska started sending prisoners out of state to one of the many private prisons that cropped up in response to the growth industry. The Red Rock prison in Eloy, Ariz., currently holds medium-security inmates from Alaska sentenced to at least two years, said corrections spokesman Richard Schmitz. The state pays Corrections Corp. of America $61.63 per day, per prisoner. Additional costs, such as travel and medical expenses make the real price higher, he said. It's still cheaper than what the state pays for the maximum-security Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward. That works out to about $140 per day, per prisoner, Schmitz said. The state doesn't like housing its prisoners Outside. Families can't afford to visit, so prisoners don't get the support and rehabilitative benefits of family connection, according to rehab experts. Guards tend to be low-paid, and the state can't keep a good eye on how inmates are treated day to day. Plus, the prisons are subject to the policies and laws of the other state. Frank Smith, a vocal opponent of private prisons, thinks there's more to Alaska's decision to switch contracts.Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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