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July 19, 2009
OK: The Board of Juvenile Affairs began initial discussions Friday about a possible private prison for juveniles in the state.
By BARBARA HOBEROCK World Capitol Bureau
Published: 7/18/2009
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Board of Juvenile Affairs began initial discussions Friday about a possible private prison for juveniles in the state.
The board is expected to vote in September on whether to solicit proposals to build and/or manage a private lockup.
Such a move would require closing at least one of the agency's three prisons, the L.E. Rader Center in Sand Springs and two others in Manitou and Tecumseh.
Office of Juvenile Affairs Director Gene Christian told the board at its monthly meeting that two pieces of 2008 legislation authorized the board to consider such moves.
The agency initially sought designs for a 64-bed prison to house youthful offenders, Christian said.
The projected cost in 2007 was $24 million, a figure that rose to $27 million in 2009.
The OJA asked the Legislature for a bond issue to provide funding, but that request was not granted, Christian said.
A decline in state revenue expected in the current fiscal year likely means that no additional funding will be provided to OJA for a private prison.
Christian said the decision about whether to move forward once the information about costs is obtained needs to come during the legislative session, which begins in February.
The state's three juvenile prisons are poorly designed, are aging and have capital needs, he said. In addition, the poor designs contribute to staffing problems, he said.
Christian said it is his recommendation to consider a request for proposals to build and/or manage a private juvenile prison.
Discussions about privatization create employee morale issues, said Sterling Zearley, executive director of the Oklahoma Public Employees Association.
He said private entities are in the business to make money and often cut programs, nutrition and other areas to do so.
Some employees from the Rader Center attended the OJA meeting wearing shirts that read, "Keep it professional. Keep it public."
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090718_16_A16_OKLAHO463816
Posted by lois at July 19, 2009 11:11 AM