Tulsa World: California sending inmates to Oklahoma

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California sending inmates to Oklahoma

By BARBARA HOBEROCK World Capitol Bureau
Published: 11/4/2009 2:24 AM
Last Modified: 11/4/2009 4:44 AM

OKLAHOMA CITY — California officials plan to send more than 1,300 inmates to a private prison in Sayre.

Corrections Corporation of America, which runs the North Fork Correctional Facility in Sayre, says the move will create about 200 jobs, company spokesman Steve Owen said.

CCA houses 7,900 California inmates in its facilities in various states.

Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, said moving California prisoners to the Sayre prison "should lessen some of the political pressure at the Capitol to fill the empty private beds with Department of Corrections inmates."

He said that area of the state needs jobs and that the added prisoners will create jobs with benefits.

Terrill is chairman of the House Public Safety and Judiciary Subcommittee, which oversees the budget of the Department of Corrections.

The California prisoners will be housed in medium-security space, said Renee Watkins, administrator of private prisons and jails for the DOC.

The inmates are expected to arrive in December or January, she said.

Private prisons in Oklahoma now house 4,849 out-of-state inmates from California and Arizona, Watkins said.

The Sayre prison holds 1,036 California inmates. The Diamondback Correctional Facility in Watonga, which is also run by CCA, holds 2,053 Arizona inmates, she said.

The Great Plains Correctional Facility in Hinton holds 1,760 Arizona inmates, she said. That prison is run by Cornell Cos.

Private prisons in the state also hold 4,725 Oklahoma offenders, Watkins said.

Barbara Hoberock (405) 528-2465
barbara.hoberock@tulsaworld.com By BARBARA HOBEROCK World Capitol Bureau

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	Report Comment Tony G, Tulsa (11/4/2009 5:59:05 AM) What idiot approved transferring out of state inmates here? Are they released in their home state or here. We know what state they will escape in!
	Report Comment Get out of my bidness!, The Republic of the United States of America (11/4/2009 7:10:58 AM) Hope the company got paid up front.
	Report Comment droopy, wagoner (11/4/2009 7:26:57 AM) Get out, don't worry, they will get IOU's.
	Report Comment Few Clothes, America (11/4/2009 8:34:17 AM) Me too bidness.
	Report Comment Angry Citizen!, Bluejacket (11/4/2009 8:58:26 AM) Obviously Terrill should be investigated, nobody in their right mind would permit the warehousing of thousands of prisoners from far away places in Oklahoma. When a prisoner escapes, does the "for profit" prison go looking for them?
	Report Comment my view, Sand Springs (11/4/2009 9:09:39 AM) If you want to control what prisoners are house in Oklahoma we need to build new prisons and not for profit private prisons. For profit prisons are a business and they'll house to the highest bidder. If California is unable to pay for their housing then the business will fail or they'll send them back. If any of the prisoners escapes then the private prison should get the bill for our law enforcement locating them and returning them.
	Report Comment forkandknife, Tulsa (11/4/2009 9:27:57 AM) Not really understanding what is going on here. Even read this one twice..help?
	Report Comment Angry Citizen!, Bluejacket (11/4/2009 9:46:37 AM) my view- Another thing.... If these prisoners stab one another, do they go to a local hospital for treatment or surgeries? If they do, is their medical treatment paid for out of our state's budget? I wish the Tulsa World would do some additional research on this and find out for us, something tells me Terrill and the "for profit" prison lobby are in bed together. There has to be more involved in dealing with these out of state convicts than just warehousing them and creating "jobs".
	Report Comment my view, Sand Springs (11/4/2009 10:09:08 AM) Angry Citizens, I'm not a big Terrill supporter but I don't believe he's a crook. As for the TW doing a little more research I agree with you. They shoud.
	Report Comment Mr_Breeze, (11/4/2009 5:25:48 PM) "He said that area of the state needs jobs and that the added prisoners will create jobs with benefits." Yeah and Cancer creates new jobs in research but I don't see people jumping on the band wagon to get Cancer..... What a bunch of Manure!!!!
	Report Comment oldrustytulsa, Tulsa (11/4/2009 7:13:36 PM) Ol Terrill, seems just a little anxious to get out-of state prisoners here in Oklahoma, Whats up with that? Did he ever get out of that bankruptcy fraud case against him and his wife?
	Report Comment U.S. PATRIOT, Americana, U.S.A. (11/4/2009 10:56:18 PM) If Cali had more citizens that were licensed concealed carry permit holders, these numbers might not be so high.
	Report Comment justiceawaits, Claremore (11/5/2009 9:04:19 AM) I am not worried about escape so much as these prisoners will be released someday after serving their sentences. Their family and friends who visit regularly will have already moved here to be close.So when then are released they will more that likely sellte here. And since 85 percent reoffend within a year we are basically importing crime.
	Report Comment U.S. PATRIOT, Americana, U.S.A. (11/5/2009 11:43:54 AM) justice- True enough, but they'll find out soon enough how many Okies are healed. A double tap a day keeps the bad guy away!

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