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| Oklahoma lawmakers tour private prison in Lawton |
| By yahoo.com |
| Published: 08/12/2009 |
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LAWTON, Okla. (AP) -- Members of an Oklahoma House committee that allocates money to the state prisons toured a 2,500-bed private prison in Lawton on Tuesday as they search for ways to house Oklahoma's growing inmate population and replace crumbling state buildings. A sprawling facility tucked amid rural farmland on Lawton's far southeast side, the prison operated by Florida-based GEO Group Inc. is the largest in the state, housing about 2,400 medium-security Oklahoma inmates. Committee Chairman Rep. Randy Terrill said private facilities are one way to replace state prisons that, in some cases, are 100 years old. "Nobody is talking about building an Embassy Suites or a Hilton for these guys to live in," said Terrill, R-Moore. "But we do have some very legitimate prison infrastructure needs that adversely impact public safety." A private study commissioned by the Legislature earlier this year recommended about $220 million in renovations to Oklahoma's 17 state prisons and another $292 million to add 2,600 beds. Read More. |
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