California sending 2,260 inmates to out of state prisons due to overcrowding

By Jason Bennert, Bay City News Service

October 20, 2006

More than 2,000 California prison inmates will begin moving out of state to private prisons next month, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced today.

The department has signed contracts worth more than $51 million annually with two companies that operate private prisons to house 2,260 medium-security California inmates.

"This is a major step toward reducing the historic levels of overcrowding that is causing major safety issues for prison staff, inmates and the public,'' CDCR Secretary James Tilton said in a statement today. "The governor clearly recognizes the dangers posed by this crisis and has ordered the department to respond aggressively and appropriately.

These contracts will allow California to house inmates out of state in a safe and cost effective manner while creating relief inside our prisons.'' California will begin sending inmates out of state as soon as November. The GEO Group Inc., based in Florida, will house up to 1,260 inmates at the New Castle Correctional Facility in New Castle, Ind.

The Correctional Corporation of America, headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., will house as many as 1,000 inmates distributed among prisons in Arizona, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

Each company will be paid $63 per inmate per day. GEO Group's contract is worth approximately $28.7 million annually. The Correctional Corporation of America's annual contract is approximately $22.9 million.

California officials expect that the transferred prisoners will all volunteer to move. The transfers are expected to be completed by March and the department wants to transfer an additional 5,000 prisoners as soon as contracts with private prison operators can be secured.

CDCR officials have inspected all of the private prisons where California inmates will be housed in recent weeks. They all comply with California state law and CDCR regulations regarding inmate conditions, according to the department.

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