Kabletown - Federal Prison Halfway House

I have been in business now for over thirty years and I believe very strongly in our free enterprise system. But there are some things that should not be operated on a for-profit basis, but should instead be provided by government. The Defense of our Nation is an example. Police are an example. And prisons are another.

Unfortunately over the past few years there has been a movement toward privatization of prisons and related services.

This week's Jefferson County Commission agenda includes a letter from a Company called "Minsec" with a proposal to place a Federal Prison Halfway House at 1716 Kabletown Road, between Ann Lewis Road and Ward Clipp Road. The facility would house 35 male and 15 female inmates. The location is a 10 acre parcel just past Avon Bend.

I agree that drug and alcohol treatment facilities are needed in the Eastern Panhandle, and even that prisoner rehabilitation is a positive goal. But this is a privately operated for profit facility. I do not believe that prisons or halfway houses should be operated as for profit businesses. It creates incentives that are not in the public interest. Many states that have gone in this direction have been running into problems as a result.

Related:

• Notification Letter from MinSec Corporation
• Original Solicitation Letter from Bureau of Prisons
• Request for Proposals from Bureau of Prisons
• Bureau of Prisons Compliance Evaluation Matrix
• Bureau of Prisons "Statement of Work" defining scope of facility
• New York Times Series on Privatized Halfway Houses:
  • As Escapees Stream Out, a Penal Business Thrives
  • At a Halfway House, Bedlam Reigns
  • A Volatile Mix Fuels a Murder

Description and location of proposed Halfway House

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