Leonard could be home to a new, faith-based prison

[Greg]

Leonard could be home to a new, faith-based prison | Herald Democrat

By Vicki Graves
Herald Democrat

LEONARD — Leonard city leaders are involved in discussions with Bill Robinson of Correctional Concepts Inc. regarding the possible construction of a faith-based 530-bed prison, which is proposed to be constructed within the city limits.

Acting City Administrator Davin Nolen temporarily shares that job with Police Chief Rex Clark. Nolen said Monday that the city council seems interested in the prison idea because it could help with economic development and that Leonard is working its way through all the legalities. The prison would be free, “at no cost,” to the city but there is much more to discuss and nothing is official, Nolen said. No one from Correctional Concepts Inc. could be reached Monday for comment.

From the city’s viewpoint, everything about the medium security prison sounds good so far, Nolen said.

The inmates would be chosen at job fairs at existing prisons in Texas or other states. Nolen explained that CCI tells city leaders that the prisoners chosen would be only those with 24 months or less left on their sentences — those who are specially chosen by a CCI committee and who meet all the qualifications. Rehabilitation would be the total focus. “They would try teaching the prisoners society skills. The problem (with prisons these days) is the high rate of recidivism. They get out and go right straight back to prison,” Nolen said.

Using the faith-based concept, the prison would have factories inside its walls and every prisoner would have a job, for which he would be paid money. The prisoners would be kept very busy daily with eight hours of counseling, eight hours of work and eight hours of sleep. They would have no free time, Nolen said.

A Baptist college would be available to them by a satellite link and other programs would help them “get educated.”

Each prisoner would be required to have savings and checking accounts as well as an in-house credit card.

“It teaches them how to live in the world. In this prison, they will buy their own products,” he said. “They need to learn how they’re to live once they open the doors. In the prisons we have now, they just serve their time and they’re out. But this prison actually will spend a lot of time trying to get these guys ready to move in next to me and you.”

With production operations going on inside prison walls, when a prisoner leaves it’s possible that he could have from $1,500 to $2,000 in a savings account.

Several companies are said to be considering buying into the prison, including one wooden truss company and a telephone company. However, Nolen couldn’t divulge the names of those companies until it’s official, he said. Nothing is final.

One warden of an Idaho prison, came last week to speak about his department’s possible use of the proposed prison. Robinson has told city leaders that prisoners could come in from any state.

Said Nolen, “The guys must be healthy and have a good work ethic. This would not be just another penitentiary. You might said it would be like the crown jewel of prisons.”

Inmates would be picked one-at-a-time and thoroughly screened, he said.

Discussion has included the construction of the first unit, for men only, and for a second unit for women. Then, if those work out, they would consider a facility for prisoners aged 18-21.

Churches would volunteer to help at the prison with spiritual guidance and counseling and the inmates would sign contracts agreeing to participate. However, they would not be forced to join any particular religion or believe in any particular denomination. For whatever religion the participants chooses, counselors would be available.

Nolen said the Leonard City Council is “very interested” but still has a lot of questions.

“We still can’t find any drawbacks and the legal part and insurance part are all in place.

“The city is pretty well untouchable and the worst thing that could happen might come with the performance bond that would be proposed to Leonard voters.

“The facility stands good for the bonds,” he added. “Leonard would invest no money at all. As a matter of fact, they would pay us a percentage and that money would help offset some of the city’s costs.

“It could be a big economic engine for the city.”

City councilors say that there could be 118 jobs inside the prison after it’s finished, not to mention the construction jobs for local companies from this area, which would be sub-contracted to build the $35 million unit. Therefore, the new prison could create a boon in the housing market with so many people moving in.

City officials are looking at several different properties in every area of the city limits for a location, but have not decided.

“We are skeptical and have heard the old story that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But if it will work out the way it looks, we are thinking it might be the thing to do, unless somebody shows us a drawback.”

Nolen said that everybody gets a little nervous when they hear that a prison might be coming near their homes.

“What we’ve got to keep in mind,” he said, “is that these men will only be 24 months away from getting out and they’re not going to mess up a good thing.

“It’s not just a prison. These guys are ready to get out. Why would any prisoner want to break out at that point?”

The next Leonard City Council meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at City Hall. That meeting will be posted and open to the public.

[robeans]

What!!!!!!!!

[Xochitl]

8 hours of counseling per day? OMG!!! I would escape.

[Greg]

Nolen said that everybody gets a little nervous when they hear that a prison might be coming near their homes.

“What we’ve got to keep in mind,” he said, “is that these men will only be 24 months away from getting out and they’re not going to mess up a good thing.

“It’s not just a prison. These guys are ready to get out. Why would any prisoner want to break out at that point?”

Sex, booze, drugs are just a few of the reasons they might want to break out. We have plenty of walk-aways from our camps of inmates with a similar amount of time left on their sentences.

Citizens who are facing the prospect of having a prison in their community often think that they only would want a lower security facility, since those facilities house the "good" inmates. We all know how wrong that is...if you are going to have a prison in your community, the citizens are safest with the biggest, baddest maximum security prison that can be built. Escapes from such facilities are extremely rare.

A camp is probably the last thing that a community should want. We all know those are the same inmates that were in the higher security prisons earlier in their sentences.

[gijanetexas]

Why does the Bueau waste inmate working time to put healthy inmates in these programs, when the inmates could finish these programs during their non-working hours?

I'm all for programs but don't regular people have to attend AA, NA, etc, after work or on weekends?

Also, these medically and mentally ill unassigned inmates should have mandatory programs to keep them busy if they are too crazy or ill to work during "working hours" of 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM.

Instead of sleeping until 12:00 PM and causing trouble on the housing unit all day...

[dla4079]

Faith Based: God Pods.
we have a pod designated on our unit as faith based, or God Pod, as we call it. Yeah, they are no trouble..... lmao!!!!!

[shakedownshorti]

God pods....lol!! Don't they all find God in prison?? LOL!!

[Movementarian]

We have a faith based unit here at Milan. It is called the "Life Connections Program" or LCP. Lets not forget the most important part of the article though: PRIVATE PRISONS ARE THE DEVIL!

[shakedownshorti]

True Dat.....private prisons are the DEVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dla4079]

Originally Posted by shakedownshorti

private prisons are the DEVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hey now PF's are not the devil. Lets not open that can of worms again......