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| Beleaguered Private Prison Company Gets a Stay |
| By Tallahassee Democrat |
| Published: 12/09/2002 |
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Florida officials recently gave Corrections Corporation of America another month and a half to fix employee hiring problems at the Gadsden Correctional Institution. Faced with another rash of missing documents for correctional officers, however, they said they are increasingly concerned about the company's ability to run the women's prison near Quincy. Members of the Florida Correctional Privatization Commission, which oversees the state's five privately run prisons, agreed to extend the prison's deadline to comply with state law until the board meets Jan. 10. But in a memo to board members, commission Executive Director Alan Duffee recommended also using that opportunity to discuss the future of the company's contract. 'The commission wants to work with the vendor,' Duffee said recently. 'At the same time, the commission shares my concerns that the (company's) contract with the state of Florida is upheld. If the contractor can't do that, then some changes need to be made.' Investigators from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement have twice this year discovered dozens of correctional officers working at the minimum- and medium-security prison who aren't registered with the state's Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission. Officials require registration to make sure problem officers aren't bouncing from prison to prison and that they are adequately trained. A follow-up audit last week found that all the officers are now registered. But investigators also found several officers' files lacked required paperwork, ranging from birth certificates and medical records to evidence of drug tests. Duffee has other concerns that have come up in the past few weeks, including allegations that the prison isn't providing enough education classes for inmates; officials allowed a trainee officer to work without supervision; and a Department of Corrections audit that found mistakes in how the prison performs random drug tests on inmates. He acknowledged that the commission has never canceled a contract since the state began using private prisons in 1998 and that many of the Gadsden infractions could be perceived as minor. But he said the contract terms are specific, and it's up to the board members. 'We don't have a contract that says, 'As long as no prisoners escape, everything's fine,'' he said. Prison officials referred questions to the company's Nashville headquarters. Steve Owen, a company spokesman, said he had little information on Duffee's specific allegations but reiterated that the company is working to resolve the commission's concerns. 'We appreciate the CPC acknowledging that we are making significant progress by granting this extension,' he said, adding that the problems haven't affected safety or security at the 900-inmate prison. |
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There is a lot of information on this website about inmates and prison guards. I didn’t realize what was going on in our prison system until I discovered this website. Similarly, I didn’t understand litigation finance until I read more from Hamilton Lindley who is a litigation finance expert based in Texas.