I want to know why the Chief of Police thinks that building a prison will reduce local crime, though. How absurd. That's like thinking another prison will solve the community's economic problems for generations, too. They're surrounded by prisons to go work at already and still have an outrageous unemployment rate - and a good share of the county's crime as well...if a lot of a "good thing" is bad for you, why would you go for more? That sounds like a soul sickness of some kind.
By the way, former AZ DOC director and enabling architect of post-invasion Iraqi prisons Terry Stewart is consulting with MTC on getting this contract, as I recall. Remember Abu Ghraib? We exported Stewart's and Ryan's philosophies to oversee that place - before anyone was tortured by Americans there. Is it any wonder that Arizona prisons are so full of violence and despair right now? Such is the culture these men breed.
The good city of Coolidge may well get what's coming to them, after hopping so happily in bed with MTC and Terry Stewart...it's just that their kids still deserve better options than to be guards or prisoners - they aren't the ones making these decisions today, but they have to live with them for decades. Once you build a prison it's hard to figure out what to do with it when you don't need it anymore...and if your whole economy depends on that place thriving, you quickly become invested in perpetuating the need, which means finding more humans to criminalize and exile and imprison.
If we were really smart we'd elect a legislature that would take control and outlaw the privatization of prisons as inefficient and unethical. But that's apparently too much to hope for right now...
------------------from the Coolidge Examiner at Tri-valley Central------
Public hearing brings loads of public support
By Joey Chenoweth
Staff Writer
Published:
With a final decision less than a month away, the
Arizona Department of Corrections held a public hearing in the Coolidge
City Council chambers to hear the final pitch from city officials and
the public on why they should choose Coolidge as the site for a new
1,000-bed, medium-security prison.
And whereas the public hearing held here last year brought both sides of the debate to the microphone, Monday’s event revealed an apparently unanimous support for the facility, as a majority of the people in the audience were wearing T-shirts stating “Coolidge: Still The Right Choice.”
And whereas the public hearing held here last year brought both sides of the debate to the microphone, Monday’s event revealed an apparently unanimous support for the facility, as a majority of the people in the audience were wearing T-shirts stating “Coolidge: Still The Right Choice.”
Management and Training Corporation, the company who will own the private facility, then gave a presentation promoting the credentials and values of the company. MTC’s representatives particularly emphasized their history of training underprivileged people to have skills that will lead to future employment, which led to their prison rehabilitation program, which aims to educate inmates to be better qualified for the workforce. They also emphasized their economic impact, which includes an extra $300,000 in tax money to the city and 200 construction jobs.
Mayor Tom Shope then came to the podium to kick off the public statements, which included a picture of Coolidge’s economic struggles, including 15 percent unemployment, and how the facility might help.
“In May 2010, the Coolidge City Council unanimously passed a resolution in support of a proposal to locate a private correctional facility in Coolidge,” he said. “We support this proposal for many reasons, including jobs, the economic benefit to city government, a great location, a comfort level with MTC and a comfort level with having a prison within our city.”
Shope then introduced some special guests that attended the meeting to show their support for the facility. Frank Pratt, District 23 representative, and Pete Rios and David Snider from the Pinal County Board of Supervisors, appeared in support.
“Pinal is absolutely committed to having private prisons,” Snider said. “It’s a clean industry. You feel rather safe.”
“If we look back historically, which county has been most receptive of private prisons in the history of this state,” Rios said. “When nobody else wanted a private prison in their backyard, Pinal County said, ‘We’ll take it.’”
Locals then flooded the podium, beginning with Police Chief Joe Brugman, who sees the facility as a great partner to the police department in lowering crime in the city.
“I’ve been involved in the prison project for quite some time,” he said. “I feel confident to say that building a prison here in Coolidge makes complete sense, and is absolutely the right thing to do.”
Sharon Boyd, the drug prevention director for the Coolidge Youth Coalition, stressed the importance of a better economy when it comes to keeping kids on the right path.
“I support the youth of Coolidge,” Boyd said. “I support the city of Coolidge. I support the schools of Coolidge. I support the families of Coolidge.”
Leon Stock, the president of the Chamber of Commerce, expressed local business owners’ support of this facility, because the more people have jobs, the more people will spend in the city.
“On behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, I would like to lend my voice of support for this facility,” Stock said. “The people of Coolidge are not intimidated at all about having this facility right next door.”
After City Manager Bob Flatley, Coolidge Unified School District Superintendent Cecilia Johnson, former Superior Court Judge William Platt and school board member T.J. Shope reiterated the significance of the new facility in improving Coolidge’s economic situation, others looked toward the long-term benefits.
“It’s immediate benefit and immediate income,” said Alton Bruce, Growth Management director. “But it’s also more long term than that and helps develop that area into what we want it to be.”
Even those who do not live in Coolidge came to express the importance of a correctional facility in developing a community. Ruth Conrad, an employee at a competing prison, said she studied MTC’s proposal and was very impressed with their commitment to rehabilitating inmates. The recent Poston Butte High School graduate Lorenzo Teruya, who is pursuing a career in law enforcement, said he respects the Coolidge community, and wants the students in the city to receive the same benefits of learning from a correctional facility as he did in San Tan Valley.
“It allows local schools to partner with the prison to further education in law enforcement,” Teruya said. “It’s awesome to see a community that bands together because they believe in something.”
