The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

Meisner said the prison brought a slew of problems to Sterling, including a negative impact on the department of social services and the schools. The commissioner said adding another prison would increase those problems and cause a domino affect.

Tuesday Logan County Economic Development Executive Director Brett Challenger said the GEO Group - the second-largest private prison company - is considering the Sterling area as the possible site for a medium-security adult male private prison with 2,250 beds. The company would offer 400 to 500 jobs and a $23 million payroll. There would be no out-of-pocket expense to the city where the prison is constructed. The city would provide water and sewer, Challenger said.

Tuesday the Sterling City Council voted to authorize the mayor to sign a letter and commissioners Greg Etl and Jack McLavey signed a letter that will allow the area to get more information about the prison and enter the next step. Challenger said it does not commit the county or city to anything. Meisner said he refused to sign the letter or attend Monday night's executive session when the GEO Group first broached the commission and council because he does not want to tie his name with another prison.

"We damn sure don't need another jail," Meisner said.

His concerns include the water the city would provide if the prison does indeed come. Meisner said that would lower the underground water supply known as the water table.

"We're stealing water from the farmers to give to the prison," Meisner said.

Meisner said a new prison would be difficult to staff because it's already hard to find guards for the Sterling Correctional Facility and the Logan County Justice Center. A labor force is tough to find in Sterling, Meisner said.

Sheriff Bob Bollish said the Justice Center is currently fully staffed, but has had a tough time in the past filling openings because of the lower wages the county offers.

Meisner also said the Sterling Correctional Facility increased the workload on social services, to the cost of taxpayers. He cited the difficult nature of working at the prison.

Logan County Department of Social Services Director Fred Crawford said the number of cases has increased for his department since the prison opened. But he said its difficult to tell how much of the caseload has been driven by the nature of the business or by the increase of the employees. Crawford said that people who work in the difficult prison profession deal with violence daily. Because it is a stressful job, it is more likely for employees working in the environment of a prison to have a high incidence of domestic violence and child abuse; but it is not dramatic enough to test statistically. Crawford said SCF does try to address that through programs at the prison.

According to Crawford, counties with the highest referral rate for child abuse tend to be counties with a prison. But he said their may be other unknown causes and a direct correlation can not be drawn.

"It makes you suspicious but it's not definite," Crawford said this morning.

Crawford said the department has had virtually no impact on communities where prisons are located because of families of prisoners being in their communities.

Crawford said an additional prison would increase the social service workload, but would not double it. An increase in population through any business would most likely do the same, he said. Construction jobs for something like a new prison and people who come looking for work would all be a part of that, he said. The social services department is doubling in size every 10 years.

Meisner said SCF has also had a negative impact on Sterling schools because it caused an increase in problems at school because of prisoner's and staff children.

RE-1 Valley Superintendent Betty Summers was not in the area before the prison came and following its opening and said she was unaware if there was a difference in the district. Summers said the district does not look at the occupation of its pupil's parents but addresses the educational needs of each pupil. The district's latest school accountability report showed a small number of fights, drugs and other incidences.

"We just take care of the kids that come to our buildings," Summers said this morning.

Meisner cited the positive recent area economic developments - Safe Auto, the Sterling Ethanol Plant, etc. - and said he hoped to see more of that kind of development, just not a prison.

"We've got to go down another direction," Meisner said.

Jennifer Klein can be reached at 522-1990, Ext. 237 or by e-mail at jklein@journal-advocate.com

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