« Cancer-Stricken 34-Year-Old Chinese Computer Engineer Dies After Being Denied Care in Private US Immigration Prison | Main | THE MEANING OF "LIFE": LONG PRISON SENTENCES IN CONTEXT LIFERS IN PRISON »
August 20, 2008
CO: 1,361 priosn employees live in Pueblo Co.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Pueblo attracts majority of prison workers
Department of Corrections records show that 1,361 employees live in Pueblo County, while 1,252 reside in Fremont County.
By DENNIS DARROW
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
August 20, 2008 03:10 am
Of the 6,183 state Department of Corrections employees in Colorado, nearly half make their homes in Pueblo and Fremont counties, according to state personnel records.
Pueblo County ranks No. 1 in the state with 1,361 DOC workers, based on a ZIP code search of the correction department's employee home addresses, provided by the agency at the request of The Pueblo Chieftain.
Fremont County ranks No. 2 with 1,252 workers.
The heavy concentration of DOC workers in the two counties is by far the largest in the state.
El Paso County, site of the state DOC headquarters, ranks third with 610 workers. The headquarters office accounts for about 240 jobs.
Logan County in the state's northeast corner, site of the Sterling Correctional Facility, is home to 600 workers.
The Chieftain requested the ZIP code search as part of its work on a future series of stories examining the economic impact of prisons on Southern Colorado communities.
DOC does not maintain any summary reports on the cities and counties where its employees reside, a spokesman said, and a ZIP code search was considered the best way to compile such information.
The newspaper decided to publish the information now given the growing interest in the state's plans to open a new DOC headquarters, possibly in a new city.
Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Fremont County have submitted bids to host the headquarters. The ZIP code information relates only to DOC employees.
It does not include employees of the Federal Bureau of Prisons prison complex, located near Florence, or the state's private prisons. Several private prisons also operate in Southeastern Colorado.
The number of DOC workers who live in Pueblo and Fremont counties will take another jump in 2010 with the opening of Colorado State Penitentiary II now under construction east of Canon City.
Pueblo state Sen. Abel Tapia, told of the results of the DOC search, said the numbers help illustrate that DOC workers "are a vital, critical part of the economy."
Beyond the large numbers of workers in the area, Tapia noted the relatively high salaries paid to DOC employees. Salaries range from $45,000 to $100,000, he said.
DOC workers also are less transient than workers in some other industries, helping them become integral members of a community, he said.
"They live in the community and they contribute to the community. They are very valuable," Tapia said.
Fremont County is home to eight DOC-run prisons that operate mostly between Canon City and Pueblo West. The city of Pueblo is home to three DOC-run prisons.
A DOC review of the bids for a new headquarters site is ongoing.
WHERE THEY LIVE
Here are the counties where employees of the state's Department of Corrections reside:
Top counties:
1. Pueblo 1,361
2. Fremont 1,252
3. El Paso 610
4. Logan 600
5. Chaffee 314
6. Arapahoe 213
7. Otero 194
8. Adams 185
9. Denver 174
10. Jefferson 160
Top cities by ZIP code:
1. Canon City (81212) 888
2. Pueblo West (81007) 530
3. Sterling (80751) 508
4. Pueblo South Side (81005) 279
5. Buena Vista (81211) 205
6. Florence (81226) 164
7. Pueblo Belmont/East (81001) 152
8. Penrose (81240) 120
9. Limon (80828) 115
10. Pueblo Minnequa (81004) 108
Other areas in Pueblo
North Side (81008) 104
St. Charles Mesa (81006) 92
Central (81003) 60
Avondale (81002) 15
Colorado City (81019) 9
Boone (81025) 7
Beulah (81023) 3
Rye (81069) 2
Other counties:
Bent County 104
Las Animas County 86
Crowley County 68
Saguache County 28
Huerfano County 24
Prowers County 18
Alamosa County 3
Kiowa County 3
Rio Grande County 1
Total employees statewide: 6,183
Source: State Department of Corrections/Chieftain research
Posted by lois at August 20, 2008 08:17 PM