State Lawmakers Call for Changes at New Castle Correctional Facility

[Joanne98]

Source: News 8

INDIANAPOLIS - State lawmakers now want changes made at the New Castle Correctional Center. Both Republicans and Democrats spoke up Wednesday.

The requests range from answers to staffing questions to a call from the House Speaker to send the Arizona prisoners home. State Democratic Chairman Dan Parker called for an investigation into the 10-year contract that permits the Geo Group to operate the New Castle Correctional Facility.

Privatization is a big issue between Republicans and Democrats and it is the backdrop for reactions to the riot. House Speaker Pat Bauer pointed to concerns raised by Arizona authorities last week.

"They knew something was wrong. This administration should have known something was wrong," Bauer said. "They're not our prisoners, they're Arizona's prisoners. They shouldn't have been sent here in the first place."



Read more: http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6427140&nav=0Ra7

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Private prisons have got to GO!

[liberalnurse]

1. They were sent because

there is money in housing inmates. If there is room, then fill up the beds. I'm guessing the problem was low inmate-officer staffing ratio. The quality of staff may also need to be looked into since it was a private/for profit prison.

[KansDem]

3. Heard this report on NPR this morning...

One complaint the Arizona prisoners had was that they were taken so far from their family and friends. I suddenly struck me that these inmates wouldn't be able to see or seek help from their family or friends (or lawyers).

I think I'd revolt too!

[liberalnurse]

6. It is a tough call.

The other choice may of been releasing them.

If an inmate is Federal....that is the issue....they can move them anywhere they want....The state of the crime is irrelevant.

[LiberalFighter]

10. New Castle is a state prison.

Whether these Arizona prisoners are federal or state I don't know.

I believe the only federal prison is Indiana is in Terre Haute.

[KansDem]

2. There should be no private prisons. Period.

If the state (people) takes away the rights of a citizen due to that citizen's inability to live within the laws set down by the state (people), then it's the responsibility of the state (people) to incarcerate that citizen. it should not turn him over to a corporation. That is just plain wrong: ethically and morally.

[liberalnurse]

7. I'll second that.

Prison for profit..............I say no.

[LiberalFighter]

11. I wonder what the legalities are if they have a lawyer handling appeals

when the lawyer is in Arizona?

[bemildred]

4. How about shut it down and "publicize" it.

Private companies have no business running prisons. It's bad enough when the government does it.

[Joanne98]

5. I started another thread on this. It's a huge scandal...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x277473

Get this. AZ sends it's prisoners to IN BUT CA is sending it's prisoners to AZ. BULLSHIT!

[harpboy_ak]

13. And Alaska sends prisoners to AZ

So AZ sends prisoners to IN when it has empty beds in private prisons?

FYI, state prison guards are California's largest union. A sad comment on our society when we imprison so many for offenses that shouldn't be crimes.

[Joanne98]

8. Check out this Corrections Corporation video...

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-prisons28jan28,0,559955.story?page=1&coll=la-home-headlines

You have to click on this link. Someone needs to put this on Youtube. it's unbelievable.

[IndianaGreen]

9. The fault lies squarely on Republican Governor Mitch Daniels

Daniels has tried to privatize anything that wasn't nailed down, from highways to byways. Privatizing prisons and quartering out-of-state immates for profit is part of a national trend to remove "public" from activies that were traditionally performed by local governments.

[Benhurst]

12. The American Gulag.

Disgusting.

But then, when you are The World's Only Superpower, what else should you expect?

The Founding Fathers were right. Dwight Eisenhower was right.

Dismantle the military/industrial state.

Restore the Republic.