Note: This post is part of our continuing coverage of the effort to re-open the Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton, a private prison owned by Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). For earlier coverage, check out the links at the bottom of the post.
In our earlier posts, Faith-based social justice group asks Goff Public to drop Swift Co lobbying to reopen CCA prison and ISAIAH MN organizes prayer vigil before Prison Population TaskForce meeting, creates petition, Bluestem looked at the faith-based group's opposition to re-opening a privately-owned prison in Appleton, Minnesota.
ISAIAH MN has passed along the letter of response from Goff Public and we embed it here:
Goff Public Letter to ISAIAH 9 18 2015
It's easy to understand how those reading the Memo of Understanding and Goff Public proposal might get confused about what's Goff Public and Swift County are proposing.
The head of the public affairs/lobbying group signed the MOU with Swift County that says the goal of the contract is "to promote the currently closed prison [Prairie Correctional Facility] as a solution for the State of Minnesota’s challenge to house inmates within existing facilities." Reasonable people would take that as re-opening the closed prison which CCA owns.
Moreover, the Goff Public proposal notes:
From our understanding of Swift County’s situation, Goff Public is well-positioned to provide you with a broad range of services to achieve your goals of raising the profile of your available infrastructure, increasing awareness of how it may be the most cost-effective option for the State of Minnesota to address its growing prison population, and potentially pursue state bonding dollars to reopen your facility for the state’s use.
This is fascinating language, since the prison isn't "your [Swift County's] available infrastructure" or "your [Swift County's'] facility. The Prairie Correctional Facility is owned by the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). In the past, CCA housed Minnesota state prisoners.
And the notion that "state bonding dollars" would be used to reopen the privately-owned facility--whether that privately-owned facility were operated by CCA or the Department of Corrections--since a January 2015 Information Brief from the non-partisan Research Department of the Minnesota House, Capital Investment and State Bonding (pdf here) notes this requirement on page 3:
Publicly owned: Bonds issued under the capital improvements provision may only be for publicly owned projects, whether state or local. “Publicly owned” includes projects of the Minnesota Historical Society, but not projects owned by public radio, public TV, Indian tribes, the federal government,or private sewage systems even if they will serve the public
If that's the case, we're curious how state bonding will be used for a prison owned by a private corporation. It's certainly understandable that lawmakers have been concerned about the state making capital improvements for private corporations.
In an August 11, 2015 post, Bluestem reported that Swift Co hires Goff Public to work on reopening CCA private prison to solve state's inmate binge; the post included their contract with Swift County, drawn from the August 4, 2015 Swift County Board packet.
We embed the document again:
Goff Public's proposal to Swift County re: CCA Appleton Prison
For our earlier coverage of the plan to re-open the prison, check out the links below:
Swift Co hires Goff Public to work on reopening CCA private prison to solve state's inmate binge
Union's Director of Public Affairs & Public Policy says AFSCME opposes re-opening private prison
W. Central residents speak out for broadband, while guy who's not King of MN favors CCA.
Campaigned against it in 2014: in legislative update, Miller joins choir for rural broadband
MN17A lawmakers meet privately with Swift Co, CCA & lobbyists about private prison lease
Orange is the new green, regulatory capture edition: Hill Capitol bid on county CCA lobbying
Orange is the new green, task force ed: informal Prison Population Taskforce to be audiotaped
Faith-based social justice group asks Goff Public to drop Swift Co lobbying to reopen CCA prison
ISAIAH MN organizes prayer vigil before Prison Population TaskForce meeting, creates petition
Photo: The privately-owned Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton. The infrastructure is located in Swift County, but it's not Swift County's infrastructure. It is owned by Corrections Corporation of America, a for-profit corporation with headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee.
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