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Corrections Corporation of America Comes to Aid of U.S. Marshals Service in Response to Iowa Floods
CCA, the largest private operator of prisons and jails in the U.S., is an established partner of the U.S. Marshals Service. The 1,016-bed Leavenworth Detention Center already houses USMS detainees and has capacity to handle the displaced detainees from Iowa. Designed and built by CCA and completed in 1992, the American Correctional Association-accredited facility was the first maximum-security private prison under direct contract with a federal agency.
"We have a long partnership with the U.S. Marshals Service, and we're proud to play a role in helping our client manage this crisis in Iowa," said Damon Hininger, CCA senior vice president, federal and local customer relations. "One of the benefits we've always offered our customers is our ability to be flexible and to offer innovative solutions to unique challenges. Our staff in Leavenworth has a long history working with the U.S. Marshals Service and its detainees, so this is a case where we're well-prepared to assist a customer in need and happy to do so. This exemplifies what we mean by having beds just in time."
On Sunday, June 15, the inmates were transferred from Iowa to Kansas via nine CCA vans and a bus operated by Transcor, a subsidiary of CCA that specializes in inmate transportation services. There is no timetable for the detainees' return to Iowa, but Hininger said the Leavenworth facility is prepared to house them as long as necessary.
CCA has provided similar relief to customers in the past. In 2005, when Hurricane Wilma set a potentially deadly course for the state of Florida, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement called upon CCA for help, working together to successfully transfer 1,137 inmates out of harm's way - in just four days. After the initial notification from ICE, CCA began to receive inmates within 24 hours. CCA and ICE collaborated on the transfer of detainees from several local and federal detention facilities in central and southern Florida to T. Don Hutto Correctional Center in Taylor, Texas, and Florence Correctional Center in Florence, Ariz.
About CCA
CCA is the nation's largest owner and operator of privatized correctional and detention facilities and one of the largest prison operators in the United States, behind only the federal government and three states. We currently operate 65 facilities, including 41 company-owned facilities, with a total design capacity of approximately 78,000 beds in 19 states and the District of Columbia. We specialize in owning, operating and managing prisons and other correctional facilities and providing inmate residential and prisoner transportation services for governmental agencies. In addition to providing the fundamental residential services relating to inmates, our facilities offer a variety of rehabilitation and educational programs, including basic education, religious services, life skills and employment training, and substance abuse treatment, which are intended to reduce recidivism and prepare inmates for their successful re-entry into society upon release.
SOURCE: Corrections Corporation of America
Corrections Corporation of America Louise Grant, 615-263-3106 or 615-289-4298 Louise.Grant@correctionscorp.com