danielle
03-23-2004, 09:46 AM
Hawaii officials still interested in Tutwiler prison
Another representative from the Hawaii Department of Corrections is visiting the Tallahatchie Correctional Facility today in Tutwiler, prison officials said.
Hawaii's special assistant to the director of public safety is touring the prison, but no decision has been made on whether to relocate 528 of Hawaii's prisoners currently housed in Arizona to the approximately 1,400-bed lockup here.
"We remain hopeful that our discussions with Hawaii are progressing and hope that we will have a decision from Hawaii very soon, perhaps this week or next week," said Louise Chikering, spokeswoman for the Nashville-based Corrections Corp. of America, the company that manages the prison.
This is the second time in two weeks Hawaiian visitors have toured the Tutwiler facility. Prison spokeswoman Carolyn McAdams said the first tour on March 8 went well and said the second visit was a good sign that negotiations between CCA and Hawaii were advancing.
McAdams declined to speculate on when - or whether - a contract between the two would be signed.
Unless CCA secures a deal by Friday, however, the prison's 230 employees, most of whom reside in Tallahatchie and Coahoma counties, all face layoffs. Their contracts were already extended two weeks while CCA continued to court Hawaii and other states in an effort to cinch a deal.
McAdams said on Friday that employees remain optimistic that their jobs will be saved.
On March 11, CCA's contract with the state of Alabama to house roughly 1,400 inmates expired. Those inmates have already left the facility, leaving only about 30 county inmates behind. Since Alabama announced its decision to bring home its prisoners, CCA has aggressively sought new contracts with other states and with Mississippi.
İClarksdale Press Register 2004
Another representative from the Hawaii Department of Corrections is visiting the Tallahatchie Correctional Facility today in Tutwiler, prison officials said.
Hawaii's special assistant to the director of public safety is touring the prison, but no decision has been made on whether to relocate 528 of Hawaii's prisoners currently housed in Arizona to the approximately 1,400-bed lockup here.
"We remain hopeful that our discussions with Hawaii are progressing and hope that we will have a decision from Hawaii very soon, perhaps this week or next week," said Louise Chikering, spokeswoman for the Nashville-based Corrections Corp. of America, the company that manages the prison.
This is the second time in two weeks Hawaiian visitors have toured the Tutwiler facility. Prison spokeswoman Carolyn McAdams said the first tour on March 8 went well and said the second visit was a good sign that negotiations between CCA and Hawaii were advancing.
McAdams declined to speculate on when - or whether - a contract between the two would be signed.
Unless CCA secures a deal by Friday, however, the prison's 230 employees, most of whom reside in Tallahatchie and Coahoma counties, all face layoffs. Their contracts were already extended two weeks while CCA continued to court Hawaii and other states in an effort to cinch a deal.
McAdams said on Friday that employees remain optimistic that their jobs will be saved.
On March 11, CCA's contract with the state of Alabama to house roughly 1,400 inmates expired. Those inmates have already left the facility, leaving only about 30 county inmates behind. Since Alabama announced its decision to bring home its prisoners, CCA has aggressively sought new contracts with other states and with Mississippi.
İClarksdale Press Register 2004