A few weeks ago, I talked with the Arizona Department of Corrections public-information officer about the ADC request for proposals for private prisons to provide 5,000 beds in the state.
The RFP was enough for private-prison industry leader Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) to begin working with local land owners and developers to submit a site proposal with Pima County for a 5,000-bed complex off Wilmot Road, near the state and federal prison complexes.
Well, an Associated Press article from yesterday states that the ADC evidently scrapped the RFP earlier this month because of security concerns:
Three inmates' escape from a privately operated state prison near Kingman has prompted Arizona to start over on getting bids from private prison companies for 5,000 additional beds.Corrections Director Charles Ryan says he canceled a request for proposals earlier this month because changes are necessary to avoid repeats of the July 30 escape. The three violent offenders who broke out have been apprehended, but two are accused of murdering an Oklahoma couple in New Mexico while on the loose.
Ryan has said the Kingman prison was riddled with security flaws that the department's oversight failed to detect.
He says the canceled RFP for the 5,000 additional beds will be replaced with one that ensures bidders meet security and operational requirements.
