Department of Justice Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates sent a memo to the Bureau of Prisons notifying the agency that many corporate-run private prisons will be phased out by the U.S. Department of Justice at the end of its contract. Between 1980 and 2013, the BOP experienced a boom in population, an 800 percent increase. They couldn’t accommodate the inmates, so they started contracting private prisons.
The new policy affects about 15 percent of the federal prison population, roughly 30,000 prisoners. The BOP operates 100 prisons and there are 13 privately run federal “contract” prisons that house non-citizens convicted of crimes, many of whom may be deported at the end of their sentences. They’re in California, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Mississippi and North Carolina. Sixty-two percent of the population, as of December 2015, were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in privately run facilities.
A recent inspector general’s report found the private prisons had more safety and security violations than prisons run by BOP.
Here’s a complete list of the 13 privately run federal prisons.
Adams County Correctional Center
20 Hobo Fork Road
Natchez, Mississippi 39120
Location: Southeast
Capacity: 2,567
Population: 1,816 male federal offenders
Fast facts: David Berkebile was named warden at Adams County Correctional Center in 2015. Previously, he served as warden at Crossroads Correctional Facility. Berkebile has nearly 28 years of corrections experience with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, where he started as a correctional officer, and later served as a case manager, training instructor, case management coordinator, unit manager, executive assistant, associate warden, deputy regional director, and warden. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Pennsylvania State University.
Big Spring Correctional Center
1701 Apron Drive
Big Spring, Texas 79720
Location: South Central Region
Capacity: 3,509
Population: 3,211 federal offenders
Fast facts: The facility provides a full range of inmate activities including educational and vocational programs, medical and psychological evaluations and treatment, and religious services for various denominations. A full legal library is available, as are leisure libraries. Educational programs and correspondence courses available to inmates include English as a second language (ESL), both American and Mexican adult basic education (ABE), and general equivalencydiploma (GED) programs. Drug and alcohol abuse counseling is provided at each facility. The program is delivered in four phases: aspects of substance abuse, life and living skills, obsessive and compulsive behaviors, and core issues in substance abuse. GEO assumed operations of the Big Spring Correctional Facility during the acquisition of Cornell Companies in August 2010.
Cibola County Correctional Center
2000 Cibola Loop
Milan, New Mexico 87021
Location: South Central Region
Capacity: 1,204
Population: 869 male federal offenders
Fast facts: Brian Koehn was named warden at Cibola County Correctional Center in April 2016. Most recently, he served as warden at Florence Correctional Center and Metro-Davidson County Detention Facility. Koehn joined CCA in 1992 as a sergeant at Prairie Correctional Facility, where he later served as assistant shift supervisor, SORT commander, and training manager. He became chief of security at Northeast Ohio Correctional Center, where he was promoted to assistant warden. He transferred to Idaho Correctional Facility as assistant warden before becoming director of Security at the Facility Support Center. Prior to joining CCA, Koehn served for four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, one year in the Marine Corps Reserve, and 11 years in the Army National Guard. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from St. Cloud State University.
D. Ray James Correctional Facility
3262 Highway 252
Folkston, Georgia 31537
Location: Southeast Region
Capacity: 2,847
Population: 1,949 male federal offenders
Fast facts: The facility provides safe, secure, and humane care, for Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP prisoners. Services provided include security, medical care, food service, counseling, and programs designed to have a rehabilitative impact. Inmates participate in academic and vocational programs, including Pre-GED, GED, and ESL, as well as building trades, culinary arts and horticulture. Inmates are also provided with life skills classes to enhance parenting skills, substance abuse programs and religious services.
702 East Broadway
Eden, Texas 76837
Location: South Central Region
Capacity: 1,558
Population: 1,370 male federal offenders
Fast facts: This low-security facility provides safe, secure, and humane care, for Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP prisoners. Services provided include security, medical care, food service, counseling, and programs designed to have a rehabilitative impact. Inmates participate in academic and vocational programs, including pre-GED, GED, and ESL, as well as building trades, culinary arts and horticulture. Inmates are also provided with life skills classes to enhance parenting skills, substance abuse programs and religious services.
Giles W. Dalby Correctional Facility
805 North Avenue F
Post, Texas 79356
Location: South Central Region
Capacity: 2,063
Population: 1,670 male federal offenders
Fast facts: Giles W. Dalby Correctional Institution (CI) – MTC is a low security correctional facility. Inmates are housed together in dormitories or cubicle housing. They are provided with access to programs and training that will help to rehabilitate them so that they’re ready to get their lives back on track when released. As a low security facility, Giles W. Dalby Correctional Institution (CI) – MTC has a lower staff to inmate ratio than medium or high security jails.
Great Plains Correctional Facility
700 Sugar Creek Drive
Hinton, Oklahoma 73047
Location: South Central Region
Capacity: 1,940
Population: 1,594 male federal offenders
Fast facts: The facility provided secure care and custody for offenders on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Offenders are provided with educational programming that includes GED classes, Adult Basic Education, and English as a Second Language, as well as substance abuse counseling, life skills training, employment assistance, and vocational opportunities.
112 Jim Hammock Drive
McRae, Georgia 31055
Location: Southeast Region
Capacity: 2,227
Population: 1,553
Fast facts: Stacey N. Stone became warden of CCA’s McRae Correctional Facility in April 2013. Stone previously served as warden of the Stewart Detention Center from November 2012 to March 2013 and warden of the North Georgia Detention Center from January 2009 to November 2012. Prior to being promoted to warden, Stone served as assistant warden at McRae Correctional Facility beginning in July 2005, after joining CCA as the facility’s chief of security in March 2005. Stone’s career in corrections began in 1996 with the Georgia Department of Corrections and his background also includes 12 years of service with the Georgia Army National Guard.
Moshannon Valley Correctional Center
555 GEO Drive
Philipsburg, Pennsylvania 16866
Location: Northeast Region
Capacity: 1,820
Population: 1,614
Fast Facts: Offenders are provided with educational programming that includes GED classes, Adult Basic Education (ABE), and English as a Second Language (ESL), substance abuse counseling, life skills, employment assistance and vocational opportunities.
Reeves County Detention Complex (R1&R2)
98 West County Road 204 PO Box 1560
Pecos, Texas 79772
Location: South Central Region
Capacity: 2,407
Population: 2,033 male federal offenders
Fast facts: Offenders are provided with educational programming that includes GED classes, Adult Basic Education (ABE), and English as a second language, substance abuse counseling, life skills, employment assistance and vocational opportunities.
Reeves County Detention Complex (R3)
100 West County Road 204 PO Box 2038
Pecos, Texas 79772
Location: South Central Region
Capacity: 1,356
Population: 1,139
Fast facts: The complex originally was established by the County to relieve overcrowding of contract federal inmates within the county jail. Initially, the facility was designed as county jail. RCDC has now expanded to consist of three facilities: R-1, R-2 and R-3. All three compounds house prisoners for the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), specifically, criminal aliens. Programs offered at the facility include classes in electrical repair, typing, basic computer skills, basic home wiring, GED classes, and English as a second language classes. There are also vocational programs such as auto mechanics and horticulture.
Rivers Correctional Institution
145 Parker’s Fishery Road PO Box 840
Winton, North Carolina 27986
Location: South Central Region
Capacity: 1,450
Population: 1,106
Fast facts: Educational programs covering GED, ESL and ABE courses, vocational training are available. Additionally, the offer training in building construction, commercial driving and computer technology. Life skills training offered to inmates includes parenting techniques, residential drug abuse programs, and “Doing Time with the Right Mind” – a program designed to teach inmates time management, conflict resolution and preparation for re-entry into society. Inmates have access to a law library, general interest library, and religious services. Inmate services include healthcare, food services, laundry, commissary, and indoor and outdoor recreational facilities. The facility also offers an industry program called Wheels for the World, a program that donates wheelchairs to the less fortunate and disabled around the world and allows inmates to learn the basics of wheelchair repair.
Taft Correctional Institution
1500 Cadet Road
Taft, California
Location: Western Region
Capacity: 2,500
Population: 2,185 male federal offenders
Fast facts: Ranked one of the 50 most comfortable prisons in the world by arrestrecords.com, Taft CI is a minimum security prison.
