Bent County Correctional Facility is a privately run institution located in Las Animas Colorado. Colorados rural communities heavily depend on the tax revenue from the remaining two private prisons, the 2021 study found. Copyright 2023 There are classrooms and a library on every floor, as well as a mental health clinician. In an email, CoreCivic spokesperson Matthew Davio pointed out that staffing challenges were not unique to the Crowley County and Bent County prisons. Copyright 2023 Corrections1. It is Bent Countys largest taxpayer as far as property tax goes, its our largest municipal utility consumer, its our largest employer, Bent Commissioner Chuck Netherton. Work conditions could play into it. The study done for the private prisons atBentand Crowley Correctional Facilities, owned and operated byCoreCivic, concluded that the prisons should remain open for now, largely due to the negative economic impact closure could have on the areas. It has a capacity of 1,894 beds and opened in 1998. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. The Crowley County Correctional Facility is a medium-security facility located in Olney Springs. The prison population in Colorado has been going down for a long time. For people who live near the two private prisons in Colorado, it's become a lifeline to jobs and services the community relies on. The Cheyenne Mountain Reentry Center will be an empty jailhouse by March 7, driven out by politics and money. "This original bill was to close private prisons by the year 2025," Netherton said. Littwin: Good news from the Dilbert front. Bent and Crowley Counties depend greatly on these facilities for tax income and employment, despite the tremendous turnover rate for employees. Visiting days are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10:00 am to 3:50 pm. Visitors may visit during the times and days referenced above. What the governor had told me is, he thought that the state would take it over, Netherton said. Although incarceration is down across the state, the private facilities inBentandCrowleycounties are operating just under their maximum recommended capacities. COVER STORY | THE BUDGET BLACK HOLE: Will any sacred cows survive the unprecedented budget cuts? Becker observed that the state doesn't compensate private prisons for including such programs. If thats the case, the state wouldnt have pay the county any property taxes. One major change places the study on the impacts of closing private prisons on rural counties into the hands of the Department of Local Affairs instead of the Department of Corrections. The bill's first draft of called forColoradoto close its private prisons by 2025. For the department to meet a proportional share of the $2 billion the JBC needs, the cut would be $144 million, a "breathtaking" amount, Allen said. Employees receive various types of training and have multiple options to report these types of allegations, including (but not limited to) notifying a staff member or management, contacting Human Resources, or contactingCoreCivic'sEthics and Compliance hotline and website.". Gurule suggested thatBentandCrowleycounties leverage their positions to get the state to develop a programming budget that would incentivize "the right company" to come to their areas. Sen. Bob Rankin, a Carbondale Republican who serves on the Joint Budget Committee, asked JBC staff for some follow-up information about the training of correctional officers getting hired at private prisons. That could mean, pending a. POLL: How will the Rockies fare this season in the NL West? Unlike a government agency, a private company like CoreCivic can decide abruptly to close down a facility, with no civic responsibility to the surrounding economy. 719-456-2610. Phone: 719-456-2610. Gurule said his education and experience demonstrate his "passion and knowledge for business economics, social justice and education," but said his most important qualifications come from his personal experience as a Hispanic minority from a low-income family and as a formally incarcerated person in both state and private prisons. All rights reserved. The facility houses Male Offenders who are convicted for crimes which come under Colorado state and federal laws. Shortly after, the county sold it to a private company to run. Please do not leave more than one voicemail or email per visit request. In a world where rehabilitation was emphasized over incarceration, criminal justice reform advocates argued it didnt make sense for the state to keep supporting an industry that benefits from filling prison beds. Dear Mr. Lipton, I am sending the documents you requested that the City of Las Animas has for the Bent County Correctional Facility. Jared Polis announced Nov. 1 that he planned to pull the plug on the states private prison deal by the end of the current fiscal year. As far as I know, thats never been done at the adult level, he said. 615-263-3140, Fax (for employment verification only): Joey Bunch is the senior correspondent and deputy managing editor of Colorado Politics. Colorado Politics senior political reporter. "We can shut down those facilities. You shouldnt be profiteering off of people caught up in the criminal justice system that we know is unjust and disproportionately impacts people of color and poor people.. In the event that we have more visitors than space allows, visits may be cut short on a "first-in, first-out" basis. But specific plans haven't been finalized. If we care about the integrity of the justice system, the successful rehabilitation of incarcerated individuals, the taxpayers, and the employees, now is the time for Colorado to stop using private prisons. The bill is meant to help determine how to best manage the state's prison population going forward, given the goal of reducing recidivism rates and decreasing sentences. Although Gustin declined to comment on details of the lawsuit itself, he saidCoreCivic"does not tolerate any forms of sexual harassment and takes these allegations very seriously. Primarily, a medium custody level facility CCCF offers programs focused on basic education, vocational, mental health, substance abuse, and reentry programs. Opened in 1996. The state department had to scramble to house the inmates and the local economy lost the jobs and tax income. Another said the state would look at whether to close private prisons, not how to close them. Colorado Newsline provides fair and accurate reporting on politics, policy and other stories of interest to Coloradans. Follow this link to our career page to view jobs at this facility. They told Colorado Politics that it would force both counties into bankruptcy. In addition, the number of inmates across all facilities decreased another 3.9% from mid-2019 to mid-2020. Learn more, Compliance Manager: Roscoe Mueller, Chief of Unit Management, Call the Department of Corrections at 719-226-4621, Call the CoreCivic Ethics and Compliance Hotline: 1-800-461-9330, or www.corecivic.com/ethicsline, Colorado DOC PREA Administrative Regulation (100-40): Download, PREA Audit Date or Scheduled Audit Date:October 18-20, 2021, PREA Audit Date or Scheduled Audit Date:July 17-19, 2017. Lexipol. Access all of our premium content, get unlimited digital access and more! https://rpiconsulting.checkbox.com/PrisonStudyPublicComment, Loss of Jobs Approx. With departing employees outnumbering those still working there, these facilities which house thousands of medium security inmates are in dire circumstances. Private facilities are similar to regular Colorado Department of Corrections facilities, except that they are run by a private corporation. This means that the number of separated correctional officers exceeds the average number of officers at those facilities; more people are starting and quitting than are employed there, the memo states. The Bent County Correctional Facility generated 18.3% of Bent Countys property taxes and 25% of Las Animas School District taxes. Copyright 2023 Las Animas, CO 81054. The counties do not want these prisons closed. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX, The DOC requested $1.09 million in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, and $4.32 million in the next fiscal year to raise the per diem rate at the two private prison facilities. Revize The phone number is (719) 456-0452 if . But Allen recommended against it, as the prison might need the beds for social distancing measures. Email:cdoc@state.co.us, You may also schedule a visit by email at, Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility. Commissioners in Bent and Crowley counties have a pretty good idea about what would happen to their counties should those two prisons close. Lets be clear: If these efforts are successful, Colorado will see more prison overcrowding, higher costs on taxpayers, limited access to life-saving reentry programming, educational, and substance abuse programs, and fewer options for future leaders to address key public safety challenges, Wilkes asserted. State-run prison facilities do have their own staffing issues. Jared Polis said he wanted to close the facility later that year. Bent County Correctional Facility. CoreCivic purchased the facility from the county in October 1996 and currently owns and operates the facility. Lawmakers voted Friday to support that request. We have two ofCoreCivic'sdetention facilities in a state that has increasingly passed some of the most unfriendliest policies for their industry.". "It happens to be our largest tax payer, our biggest employer and some of the highest salaries in the valley. Bunk rooms, many that housed eight inmates each, had been cleaned and mattresses turned. The State of Colorado pays CoreCivic over $67 million per year in taxpayer dollars to operate these two prisons - the Bent County Correctional Facility and Crowley County Correctional Facility. It gets 25% of its property taxes from the Bent County Correctional Facility in Las Animas, which houses 1,466 inmates. Its a story of three prisons, the other two in rural Bent and Crowley counties, and the fears there about what the elimination of the private prisons might mean for local economies. Inmate Locator. Warden. If you look at the cost of private prisons, theyre significantly less.. The companys leadership and human resources teams make an effort to talk with staff about any issues or concerns they may have, Davio added. Bent and Crowley County would have far more economic security if the Department of Corrections were running these facilities. But while the pay increase would probably somewhat help the turnover situation, there are other reasons why CoreCivic is having a hard time retaining its employees, said Justin Brakke, senior legislative budget and policy analyst on JBC staff. In Crowley County, the correctional facility generated 44% of property tax revenue and 42% of school district taxes. Bent County Correctional Facility11560 Road FF75Las Animas, CO 81054, Inmate Name, IDBent County Correctional Facility11560 Road FF75Las Animas, CO 81054. But leaders in Bent County say its aiming at doing one thing in particular. Leaders at the state Capitol are talking about evolutionary change in criminal justice at the same time theyre talking about spending $9 million in a hurry to solve a problem partly of their own making. State prison inmates are able to make calls with: Calling Cards. The private prisons are fully managed by Core Civic, DOC spokesperson Annie Skinner said in an email, when asked about the responsibilities of DOC versus CoreCivic in relation to hiring and retention of employees at private prisons. Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. The Bent County Correctional Facility, located in Las Animas, CO, is a secure facility that houses inmates. BCCF is a level III facility with an operational capacity of 1,388. COVID restrictions to keep our staff and those in our care safe often add to the staffing challenge.. Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. researches product purchases and suppliers. 5501 Virginia Way, Suite 110 Begin processing visitors in at 9:30 am and stop processing at 10:45 am, and will resume processing at 12:00 pm. Private prison company GEO Group abruptly closed the Cheyenne Mountain Re-entry Center in Colorado Springs in March 2020, after Gov. Cheyenne Mountain, because of its unique layout and design, could again wind up a medium-level security prison, Foster said. Since the announcement of the closure, DOC has been providing human resources assistance to CMRC employees. Crowley County Correctional Facility generated 44% of countywide property taxes and 42% of school district taxes. His 32-year career includes the last 16 in Colorado. Districts would need to seek increases from the taxpayers to sustain services, Decimation of residential property values, Increased Utility rates (due to loss of largest utility consumer), Loss of over $510,000 annually in additional fees, Negative impact to social determinants of health and health equity, Loss of sales tax revenue throughout the county.