Texas Prison Bid'ness

Are tents catching on as the latest fad in private prison construction in Texas?

It's bTent Cityeen widely reported that Management and Training Corporation's Willacy Detention Center in Raymondville is home to 2,000 detainees contracted from Immigration and Customs Enforcement living in windowless Kevlar tent-like structures. The facility has become known as "Tent City." Another 1,000 detainees reside at the WDC in brick-and-mortar buildings the company calls "firm structures." The facility's tents had to be evacuated in the run-up to Hurricane Dolly last month.

Now Sierra Blancacomes word out of west Texas that Emerald Corrections is constructing a tent-like addition to its Hudspeth County Regional Correctional Center in Sierra Blanca. The Hudspeth facility was built as a U.S. Marshal's facility, and drew controversy over its financing mechanism, and is most likely housing immigrants being criminally prosecuted for immigration-related crimes.

I first heard that the facility was expanding from Sierra Blanca environmental and social justice actiSierra Blancavist Bill Addington, and it's now confirmed in pictures from Border Ambassador and frequent private prison protestor Jay Johnson-Castro. These structures look fairly similar to the Raymondville facility, though I've heard they may be constructed out of a foam-like structure. The facility may have to worry about failing federal reviews, as many federally-contracted private prisons have in the past several years, as reported by the Texas Observer.

It's certainly a disturbing trend in private prison development. We'll keep you posted.