Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

JPs, LaSalle Enter Into Agreement To Try And Place Prison Here

There are nearly 4,000 Arkansas inmates without a prison cell to occupy. It is hoped by the Nevada County Quorum Court and the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development office (EDO) that about 500 of those prisoners can be located in Nevada County.

JPs at the regular quorum court meeting July 10 voted to enter into an agreement with LaSalle Management to actively recruit the Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC) to place its first private owned and operated prison in northern Nevada County.

Jon Chadwell, EDO director, first approached the quorum court about the prison during the June meeting.

Currently, there is not any privately owned prisons operating in the state, though two of the state owned facilities are managed by a private company.

LaSalle representative Kevin Sumrall told JPs his company was prepared to actively pursue the ADC's commitment to private prisons, even to the point of offering to place the 500 inmates they hope to locate locally in one of the company's seven facilities in Louisiana right away.

Currently, the state is housing most of its prisoners in county and city jails because the beds are not available.

ADC announced last week it is planning to ask for $150 million to build three new prisons for 3,000 inmates. This is about $50 million per prison system for 1,000 inmates.

Nevada County came in second to Malvern for the last proposed state prison (of which, it is said, construction has not been started in Hot Spring County yet). LaSalle found this information and decided to locate its system here due to the ADC decision.

LaSalle's proposes to build a 500-bed unit on 25 acres for about $10 million.

LaSalle would collect $25 per day per prisoner. This is the same amount the state pays county and city jails to house state inmates.

Benefits to Nevada County will include 15 beds for county prisoners at no charge and 15 more beds available at $30 per day.

Chadwell told JPs this will cost the county $165,000 per year if all 15 beds are used 365 days per year. Currently, the county spends $195,000 per year to operate its jail facilities.

Additional benefits will include the shutting down of the Nevada County jail. This will avoid future lawsuits over the condition of the jail facilities and alleged improprieties being conducted in addition to taxpayers being required to come up with funds to build a new jail in the next few years if the jail standards committee condemns the facility.

In addition to the benefits directly associated with LaSalle, Nevada County will see tax benefits from the property built by the company.

Also revenue from utilities will be added to the community as well revenue generated in the community by visiting relatives of the inmates.

About 70 jobs with annual payroll estimated to be over $1 million is part of the package to the community also.

John Brannan, president of the EDO board, told JPs the board thought the prison was a good step for Nevada County both as a benefit as an employer and also as a community member.

LaSalle manages seven prison units in Louisiana, two of which Chadwell, Sheriff Steve Otwell and a committee from the county visited already.

Sumrall told JPs the prisons were built in communities the size of Prescott and in parishes the size of Nevada County. The Louisiana parishes utilize the prison for its local prisoners in the same way that has been offered to Nevada County.

Nevada County prisoners will be separate from ADC inmates, two or more beds will be available for female prisoners as well.

If the ADC approves the idea of a private prison, the community will be responsible for purchasing the 20-25 acres LaSalle will need to build its prison and running utilities to the site.

In addition, a paved road will have to be built into the site by the community.

The approval of the six-month contract now requires the EDO to act as a liason between LaSalle and the ADC to contract for the prison.

LaSalle's proposed prison for Nevada County will be for minimum to medium security prisoners that have fewer than 10 years left to serve.

Currently, the average prisoner entering one of LaSalle's units in Louisiana has about six years left to serve.

Officials with LaSalle say this keeps the risk of escape to almost non existent.