McFarland facility to reopen as women's prison
| Friday, Jul 09 2010 10:30 AM
Last Updated Friday, Jul 09 2010 10:30 AM
The McFarland Community Correctional Facility is going to reopen as a 200-bed, privately run female prison later this year, company and state corrections officials announced Thursday.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has awarded the GEO Group a five-year contract with an option to renew for another five years, according to GEO. GEO expects to begin accepting female inmates in the third quarter of this year, following minor renovations.
Corrections officials weren't sure how many jobs the project will create and GEO did not return a message seeking more information about its plans. McFarland's unemployment rate was 31.3 percent in May.
McFarland City Manager Bob Wilburn said about 120 people worked at the facility before it closed but a majority lived outside of McFarland. Still the reopening is good for the small town, he said.
"We were disappointed when it closed," Wilburn said. "We're glad to see they're gearing up to reopen."
The corrections department ordered the McFarland facility and Mesa Verde Community Correctional Facility in Bakersfield closed late last year because there weren't enough low-level male inmates to fill them. Mesa Verde also bid on the contract to house female prisoners but was rejected for not meeting the state's criteria, said Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Cassandra Hockenson.
She said the state wants more of these smaller, low-risk facilities for women as a way to "move toward rehabilitation over mere incarceration."
"Female inmates are very receptive to rehabilitation and enrichment opportunities, and these types of facilities and programs allow us to focus on that goal," Hockenson said.
When fully up and running, the facility is expected to generate $4.75 million annually.
"We look forward to furthering our long-standing partnership with CDCR and helping the State of California meet its ongoing correctional bed needs with the reactivation of our company-owned McFarland Community Correctional Facility," GEO Chairman and CEO George C. Zoley said in a statement on its website.
