LaSalle Corrections has submitted a new proposal to the Arizona Department of Corrections (DOC) to build a private prison in Winslow.
Billy McConnell, managing director and co-founder of the Ruston, Louisiana-based prison management company, said his firm submitted proposals for 1,000, 1,500 and 2,000 beds, but recommended the DOC accept the 1,000-bed proposal.
The recommendation, McConnell said, was based on two workforce studies the company has commissioned, which indicate the company would have trouble staffing a larger facility.
“These studies look at the number of employable people who are not currently employed in the commuting distance, and the kind of incentives potential employees might require,” said McConnell. “We also analyze the hiring experience at the existing state facility, and the number of people who are underemployed in an area.
“The studies didn’t say it was impossible to staff a bigger facility, just that it was going to be pretty difficult,” McConnell said.
DOC representatives have told LaSalle they expect to decide by July 1 on bid awards. The state plans to contract for an additional 5,000 private medium security beds for male prisoners.
