La Junta Tribune-Democrat. The department is using $1.3 million in federal funds, from coronavirus relief legislation that Congress passed last year, to pay retention bonuses to staff at the Bent County and Crowley County facilities. Visitors can bring quarters or small bills to load up to $20 on a vending machine card. Special to The Colorado Sun Facility Locator What We Do Safety Community Properties For Families Reentry CoreCivic For Families Information on COVID-19 When a loved one is incarcerated, we understand that it can be a stressful time. 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. 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. Bent County Correctional Facility Customer base: Colorado Department of Corrections - Facility Type: Medium-Security, Owned since 1996 For updated visitation schedules due to the coronavirus pandemic, click here . Colorado Newsline maintains editorial independence. A Colorado Springs private prison will close next month. I think we should reinvest in services we can actually ensure our recidivism rate goes down, that offenders are able to transition back into the community and be productive and have a shot at being productive instead of going right back into the system.". Impacts of closing or selling the Bent County Correctional Facility: Loss of Jobs - Approx. Bent County Correctional Facility, 11560 County Road Ff75, Los Animas, CO 81054. The association includes both the GEO Group and CoreCivic, the private providers of Colorado incarceration. The rate increase will allow CoreCivic to pay its correctional officers a starting wage of $22 per hour, according to the DOC. Rep. Leslie Herod, a Denver Democrat, was excused for the vote. Close the prison, and the county goes under, Commissioner Tobe Allumbaugh told Colorado Politics. 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. But, we will leave those communities without a large segment of their working population and their tax base, and if we do that it will be irresponsible if we walk away from those communities. 2020 Bent County, CO. All rights reserved. The states handling of inmates is changing equally as fast to keep up. But leaders in Bent County say it's aiming at doing one thing in particular. Michael Dougherty is the 20th Judicial District Attorney in Boulder. Now, they are hoping people will speak out, to keep it from happening. We are proud of that," MacDonnell said. Theres a level of scrutiny over a private-run facility that does not exist in the state system, said Sean Foster, interim executive director at the Cheyenne Mountain facility, who also spent 30 years with the Colorado Department of Corrections. Under DOCs request, the rates would increase incrementally by $3.40 this year, and then by another $1.13 next year, bringing the per diem rate to $63.32. The incarcerated men and women who most need our help will be hurt the most by these actions, as they already have been in Denver, where the City Council put 500 residents at risk of being sent from their halfway houses back to jail just to make a political point.. Two private prisons in rural southeast Colorado both operated by the company CoreCivic are grappling with high turnover rates among their staff. Thats still $2 less than the starting wage for state employees. 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.. He has a bachelor of science in computer information systems fromMetro State Universityand works as the community organizer forSoutheast ColoradoatColorado Trust, which focuses on increasing health equity in the region, he said. The incarceration rate in Colorado decreased by 24% between 2010 and 2019 (pre-Covid). GEO, one of the nations two largest incarceration for profit corporations, operates prisons in multiple states as well as monitoring units for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The legislation has two purposes: opening up more of Centennial South, up to 650 beds, and to require the Department of Corrections to conduct a feasibility study on closing the other two private prisons. The Polis administration considers corrections a core function of state government, and believes its the states responsibility to take care of the facilities and employees who provide that function, said Aaron Greco, a lobbyist for the Department of Corrections. But specific plans haven't been finalized. It's because they're not prepared to succeed. Bent County Correctional Facility prisoners don't have telephones, so you can't call the inmate, but, there are cases when it might be helpful to have the phone number to Bent County Correctional Facility. POLL: How will the Rockies fare this season in the NL West? CoreCivic has invested in commercial advertising, participated in public events, and attempted to recruit community members through job boards, military bases, local colleges, social media and local hiring events, Davio said. Login, Colorado Prison Utilization Study - Public Hearing, Note: livestream videos are delayed by several seconds. Cheyenne Mountain has all the security of a prison but not as much of the look. The companys leadership and human resources teams make an effort to talk with staff about any issues or concerns they may have, Davio added. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. "We can do something that makes more sense for that community, but also doesn't do it on the backs of inmates who really obviously need an opportunity to transition back into society.". 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. Cheyenne Mountain was really stuck in a bind we put them in, she said. Between Jan. 10 and Jan. 29, DOC relocated 433 inmates to state prisons in Sterling, Rifle and Fremont County. La Vista, located on the campus of the Colorado Mental Health Institute, has 683 beds, and the recommendation was to reduce its capacity by 147 beds. Access all of our premium content, get unlimited digital access and more! The department is 7% of the state budget, he told the JBC. That could mean, pending a feasibility study, the bent county correctional facility could be shuttered. Both are owned by CoreCivic and. Colorado Prison Utilization StudyIMPORTANT PUBLIC MEETING - RESCHEDULEDYour chance to be heard!Crowley County: November 30, 2020 @ 5:30 p.m.Bent County: December 1, 2020 @ 5:30 p.m. ZOOM Webinar- Virtual Interactive MeetingLive meeting video feed (no feedback):Colorado Prison Utilization Study - Public HearingNote: livestream videos are delayed by several secondsPHONE- Listen and make comments:1-346-248-7799meeting ID: 949 6591 0073 #Participant ID: press # if you do not have onepassword: 499142request to speak *9 then WHEN CALLED UPON press*6 to unmuteIf you are unable to attend in person please comment to:https://rpiconsulting.checkbox.com/PrisonStudyPublicCommentBent Countys Private Prison is integral to the sustainability of our Community. CoreCivic offers benefits including health insurance, a 401(k) matching savings and retirement plan, paid time off and education opportunities. 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. You have permission to edit this article. Those measures were taken to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection to inmates and prison staff. The Bent County Correctional Facility, located in Las Animas, CO, is a secure facility that houses inmates. For 35 years the private sector contractors have worked with both Republicans and Democrats on issues pertaining to corrections and detention, said Wilkes, a former executive director of the conservative American Rising political action committee. The Bent and Crowley correctional facilities are on average one-third cheaper to operate than comparable medium security state-run facilities, with the Bent County prison costing about $61.78 million annually to operate and the Crowley County private prison costing about $62.28 million, according to information from Karl Becker of CGL Companies . "It is far from certain that the current population reduction, which is clearly connected to the coronavirus pandemic, is permanent," Allen wrote in a staff memo. The Joint Budget Committee on Tuesday voted to close the men's-only Skyline prison in Caon City, a 252-bed facility, effective January 2021. Collect Calls. In order to keep facilities safe, candidates must be able to pass background screenings. That comes at a time when lawmakers are discussing closing the other two private prisons operated by CoreCivic. "Not everybody wants to come and build a business in rural Colorado, and so there are industries we will look after that aren't welcome in other people's backyards. "It happens to be our largest tax payer, our biggest employer and some of the highest salaries in the valley. The Cheyenne Mountain Reentry Center in Colorado Springs. Address: 11560 County Road FF75, Las Animas, CO 81054. 719-456-2610. The Bent and Crowley correctional facilities are on average one-third cheaper to operate than comparable medium security state-run facilities, with the Bent County prison costing about $61.78 million annually to operate and the Crowley County private prison costing about $62.28 million, according to information from Karl Becker of CGL Companies, To achieve those savings, DOC would have to close nine of the 19 state-operated prisons and release 5,000 offenders, he said. It is the Bent County Correctional Facility. ", First published on January 27, 2021 / 11:20 PM. Copyright 2023 Corrections1. There are classrooms and a library on every floor, as well as a mental health clinician. 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 nurse alleges a supervisor began discriminating against her in 2018 because the supervisor "was disgusted and upset" that Karapetian had competed 25 years earlier in a bikini modeling contest. Everybody is just really scared., Its all because of the recently passed Colorado House Bill 20-1019, which according to its summary, concerns measures to manage the state prison population.. Cheyenne Mountain, because of its unique layout and design, could again wind up a medium-level security prison, Foster said. It was built by the Bent County taxpayers in 1993, Netherton said. Bent County Jail Address: 11100 County Road GG.5 Las Animas, CO 81054 Phone: 719-456-1363 Bent County Jail Commissary Carepacks Bent County Jail contracts with Access Securepak for families to send pre-determined packages of commissary items to your inmate. Staffing correctional facilities is a challenge that public and private facilities alike face in Colorado and across the country, Davio wrote. Visitors will not be allowed back into the facility once they leave. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. Mistakes were made when the state announced it was shuttering Cheyenne Mountain, which prompted the company to exercise its 60-day pullout clause, said Rep. Kim Ransom, a Republican from Douglas County who sits on the Joint Budget Committee, the bipartisan panel of legislators charged with finding the money to manage the states next steps. Opinion: Zero-tolerance isnt working. They told Colorado Politics that it would force both counties into bankruptcy. It's a business with 285 employees, but it is also a small. Visitors arriving on or after 3:00 pm will not be allowed to visit that day. Photo by Marianne Goodland/Colorado Politics A common area on the third floor of Cheyenne Mountain Reentry Center, vacant except for the TV. Holidays are no exceptions. His 32-year career includes the last 16 in Colorado. You can be in the know right alongside Colorados political insiders. It might be possible to be too obviously racist. ", Responding to a request for comment on allegations of mistreatment, CoreCivic Public Affairs ManagerRyan Gustinsaid the caller's claims "do not reflect the affirmative, proactive measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 that BCCF staff have been taking for months. Private facilities are similar to regular Colorado Department of Corrections facilities, except that they are run by a private corporation. Prison Description. But on Jan. 7, GEO Group announced it would shutter Cheyenne Mountain on March 7 after operating it since 2017. Given this long-term trend, the obvious question is whether we still need these two prisons. "My recommendation is for our leaders to work hard now to recruit companies looking for a new home inColorado, like a company in the cannabis cultivation and processing industry," Gurule said: "A $60 million industry that has and will continue to see exponential growth as policies shift in favor of that industry. So that means that we are increasing our public safety risks when we don't provide the right programming within jail and the transition out.". The caller identified herself as the fiance of an inmate inside theBentprison facility. 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. In August, newly elected members of the Denver City Council sought to eliminate contracts with GEO and CoreCivic, the other large private prison operator, which operates six halfway houses in the city for about 500 recently released offenders. Another said the state would look at whether to close private prisons, not how to close them. Today, Colorado has a steadily dropping inmate population and one of the worst recidivism rates in the nation. The inmates may be awaiting trial or sentencing, or they may be serving a sentence after being convicted of a crime. Factors that will inform the state and communities about theColoradoprison system were destabilized by the COVID-19 pandemic, which the study found reduced the state prison population by more than half in 2020. You could build a prison based on the inaccuracy of a five-year forecast, he said. Jails and Prisons maintain records on inmates, including arrest records, sentencing records, court documents, and other . InNovember 2020, theBent CountyDemocrat reported that a nurse who had worked at theBent Countyfacility,Dannette Karapetian, was suingCoreCivicand alleging retaliation over her complaints about discrimination and quality of patient care. Begin processing visitors in at 9:30 am and stop processing at 10:45 am, and will resume processing at 12:00 pm. Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Housing could be an issue, Brakke told lawmakers during Fridays hearing. With departing employees outnumbering those still working there, these facilities which house thousands of medium security inmates are in dire circumstances. The Centennial South II prison, which reopened recently, also was closed, in part because the state was moving away from solitary confinement facilities. "We are in a position as a community to use this study to our advantage by being proactive in creating a better economy founded on innovation and leading in what we know best: agriculture. It is one of four minimum-security facilities in Colorado and the only one inCaon City. Last year, these prisons had a 126% and 107% turnover rate in corrections officers, respectively. From California to Missouri to Pennsylvania, state and local officials say that so many guards have fallen ill with the virus and are unable to work that abruptly closing some correctional. 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. The costs of operation are driven down by fewer health programs and lower-paid staff. The Bent County Correctional Facility generated 18.3% of Bent Countys property taxes and 25% of Las Animas School District taxes. Bent County commissioners say the same is likely true for their community. Private prisons have long been politically contentious, with the lower operating costs they often provide for taxpayers conflicting with charges of profit-driven justice and the inherent motivation to keep their beds full. Your Commissioners support keeping the private prison open and are holding this meeting to ensure Denver hears from you. Colorado lawmakers explore automation to dispense drugs, National GOP group hits Democrat Yadira Caraveo over Medicare funding in six-figure ad campaign. At theCrowley Countypublic input hearing the night prior, Gurule suggested thatCoreCivicdoesn't value its employees as much as its shareholders' expectations. It has a capacity of 1,894 beds and opened in 1998. Men in there are out of food and are relying on what the prison is providing, which is really nothing. But leaders in Bent County say its aiming at doing one thing in particular. Shortly after, the county sold it to a private company to run. Commissioners in Bent and Crowley counties have a pretty good idea about what would happen to their counties should those two prisons close. In-state visitors may not schedule a visit more than 14 days in advance. Private prisons are a dangerous alliance for county governments. Bent County Correctional Facility11560 Road FF75Las Animas, CO 81054, Inmate Name, IDBent County Correctional Facility11560 Road FF75Las Animas, CO 81054. 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. 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. All rights reserved. Facility Information Name of Facility: Bent County Correctional Facility Physical Address: 11560 County Road FF. And even if we reinvest in those communities we will still see a cost savings in the millions of dollars. CoreCivic charges less to house a medium security prisoner than it costs at a DOC facility, but we are getting what we pay for less. Contact the facility operator for answers to questions concerning visitation rules. In an email, CoreCivic spokesperson Matthew Davio pointed out that staffing challenges were not unique to the Crowley County and Bent County prisons. 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. The Democrats in charge of state government have made it clear theyd like to end private prisons in Colorado. Both are owned by CoreCivic and contracted with the state's Department of Corrections and house about 2700 inmates between the two.