Republicans Pushing For State To Buy Empty Appelton Prison
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- Republican lawmakers at the Minnesota Legislature are asking the state Corrections Department to buy or lease the privately-owned prison in Appleton.
Supporters of the idea say it will help ease prison overcrowding in the rest of the state prison system.
The 1,600-bed Prairie Correctional Facility has been sitting empty since 2010, but supporters say it's fully licensed and ready to open -- if the state provides the prisoners.
Supporters say it's a no-brainer.
"They have a need for more beds," said Rep. Tim Miller (R-Prinsberg), who represents the Appleton area. 'There is an asset in Greater Minnesota that is ready to do it."
The bill would require the state to lease or purchase the Appleton prison to ease prison overcrowding.
The prison would be run by the state, and staffed by public employees, creating hundreds of local jobs.
"We are not here to say we want people locked up," said Gary Hendrickx, a Swift County commissioner. "That is not our request at all. What I am asking you to do is to consider addressing a serious problem."
Minnesota currently houses excess prisoners in county jails, at one time as many as 900.
But the state's corrections commissioner says that number is now down to 300, because of drug sentencing reforms and more options for nonviolent crimes.
"I just want to discourage the notion that the only solution to prison capacity is adding another facility," said Tom Roy, the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
Many prison guards attended the hearing to oppose the bill, calling it "doing business with the devil."
"It's immoral to profit from locking people up," said Sgt. Rick Neyssen, who works at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud.
"It has nothing to do with justice, and all about corporations making billions from human misery."
