Once again, Swift County's commissioners are hoping to win state support for reopening the Prairie Correctional Facility private prison in Appleton, Minnesota.
Given Governor Tim Walz's strong opposition to private prisons, as well as opposition to them among key House DFLers, the notion is not likely to go anywhere.
At the West Central Tribune, Tom Cherveny reported Thursday in Swift County wants to revive effort to reopen prison:
The Swift County Board of Commissioners is taking another try at winning state support for reopening the Appleton prison.
The commissioners informally agreed at their meeting on Tuesday that they would seek support for reopening the shuttered, privately owned prison. They instructed County Administrator Kelsey Baker to launch the effort with letters to neighboring counties asking for their support.
Baker will also be contacting local legislators for their continued support.
Commissioner Pete Peterson raised the issue of taking another run at gaining state support. He noted that there is a new governor and new commissioner of corrections. [emphasis added]
While Minnesotans elected a new governor in November, they elected one who campaigned on outlawing private prisons. From the Walz-Flanagan Agenda--Racial Equity page:
Push for criminal justice reform and civil rights for everyone. Tim and Peggy favor creating a taxation and regulation system for adult-use cannabis in Minnesota. African Americans in Minnesota are negatively and disproportionately impacted by these laws. They also support outlawing private prisons in Minnesota – There should be no profit motive attached to recidivism.
While serving in the Minnesota House, Flanagan voted against legislation that would have created a pathway for re-opening the prison.
Pro-private prison lawmaker Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, has once more introduced bills to force the state to use the prison. HF0291 would authorize the commissioner of corrections to house offenders in nonpublicly owned facilities, while HF0272 would authorize the sales of $139 million in bonds to acquire and improve the facility; only $74.1 million of that amount could be spent to buy the joint.
Miller received $1000 in campaign contribution from CoreCivic lobbyists in 2018, according to his year-end report on file at the MN Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. As we reported in 2016, Miller received a number of out-of-state contributions from individuals connected with Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), which later rebranded itself as CoreCivic after bad publicity:
There's $250.00 each from CCA Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President David Garfunkle and his wife Carrie, both of Franklin, Tennessee, followed by the same amounts from CCA Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer Anthony Grande and his wife, as well as from CCA President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director Damon Hininger and his wife (page 4 of Miller's 2016 pre-general report).
Former Appleton warden Daren Swenson, now CCA's Tennessee-based Vice President, Facility Operations, Business Unit 2 also gave Miller $250 (page 6 of Miller's 2016 pre-general report).
Finally, there's the $500 each of CCA's corporate lobbyists (Kelly Durham and Brad Regens, page 7 of Miller's 2016 pre-general report) handed over.
Cherveny's report concludes:
The county commissioners said they have not been in recent contact with CoreCivic, the facility's owner, about efforts to reopen it. Commissioner Gary Hendrickx said the company has been supportive of past efforts seeking support.
The county has supported legislation in previous years asking the Department of Corrections to purchase and operate or enter into a lease agreement to own and operate the 1,650-bed prison in Appleton. It has not held inmates since February 2010. Its owner, CoreCivic, formerly Corrections Corporation of America, maintains it as licensed and ready for occupancy.
In 2015, Swift County hired lobbyists at Goff Public to persuade lawmakers to support legislation intended to reopen the prison; their registration was terminated in February 2018. As we noted in July 2016, County board minutes indicate Swift Co paid Goff Public $40,043.67 for prison reopening lobbying. The Swift County Monitor reported in January 2017's Talk of using Appleton prison underway at the state Legislature that the board had rehired Goff Public for that talk.
Swift County hired three lobbyists from Flaherty and Hood for the session, but they lobbied the legislature about health care issues. The MN public disclosure board does not list any currently registered lobbyists for Swift County in its database.
Photo: Tim Miller surrounded by Minnesota citizens protesting his plans to reopen the private prison at Appleton.
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