Texas Prison Bid'ness

Scandals in Texas’ private prisons are often covered briefly in newspapers, then quickly forgotten. Here’s a sampling of recent problems and scandals reported in Texas media from 2006 and 2007. If you think we’ve missed any recent news stories, please contact us.

Bill Clayton Detention Center (Littlefield, TX) -- GEO Group (formerly CSC)

• A brief riot involving 39 Wyoming prisoners was suppressed with OC spray. Prisoners and staff were treated with first aid, there was unspecified property damage and a lockdown (2006)
• You may also want to see their previous problems on our 2000-2005 page

Bowie County Correctional Center

• A CiviGenics guard at the Bowie County Correctional Center annex was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle marijuana, tobacco and cigars into the jail (2007)

Coke County Juvenile Detention Center Geo Group

• A prison staffer was fired after the Texas Youth Commission learned he has a previous conviction for exposing himself to a child (while a juvenile). He maintained that he revealed the conviction during the hiring process. (2007)

Dickens County Correctional Facility (Spur, TX) -- Bobby Ross Group

• An Idaho prisoner, Scot Noble Payne, escaped from the prison. Prison officials said Payne, who was serving time for aggravated battery and lewd and lascivious conduct, scaled the prison's fence. He fled when temperatures were in the mid-20s, apparently without any extra clothing. (2006)
• A former guard was convicted of providing contraband to a prisoner and sentenced to five years of probation, $1,000 fine and 120 hours of community service. He was using the prisoner as an intermediary to sell contraband to other prisoners and may have been involved in the escape of Scot Noble Payne. (2007)
• Dickens had problems in the 1990s you can read on the 1990s Scandals page

East Hidalgo Detention Center (La Villa, TX) -- LSC

• Five undocumented immigrants and a former police officer escaped from the privately run South Texas jail. The escapees were alleged members of the drug gang Raza Unida charged with drug trafficking crimes (2006).
  
• The facility was repeatedly found in noncompliance with state standards. An inspection conducted eight days after six prisoners escaped cited the prison for employing too few guards, adding an unauthorized number of bunks, and keeping unlicensed guards on the payroll. (2006)
  
• A prison guard and two other people were arrested for aiding in the escape of six prisoners from the facility (2006).
  
• An 18-year-old guard overseeing the six prisoners who escaped from the correctional facility had been on the job less than three months and had not yet undergone a training course mandated for Texas jailers. The guard reported being overpowered by inmates. (2006)

Mineral Wells Pre-Parole Transfer Facility (Mineral Wells, TX) -- Corrections Corporation of America

• Two 21-year-old prisoners escaped and were missing for six hours before being spotted by helicopter less than five miles from the prison (2007)
  

South South Texas Intermediate Sanction Facility (Houston, TX) -- GEO Group

• A prisoner who had served most of his two-year sentence for unathorized use of a motor vehicle escaped (2007)

T. Don Hutto (Taylor, TX) -- Corrections Corporation of America

• A lawsuit documented restrictive settings for children, including inadequate school hours, poor nutrition, and threats to separate the children from their parents for misbehavior. (2007)
• A CCA staffer was fired within days of “inappropriate contact" with a prisoner (2007)

Val Verde Correctional Facility and County Jail (Del Rio, TX) -- GEO Group

• Two employees arrested: one for burglarizing a neighbor's home and the other for sneaking a bottle of cheap wine and love letters under the fence of the jail. Both faced felony charges and wound up in the privately-run county jail following their arrest. (2007)

Webb County Detention Center (Laredo, TX) -- Corrections Corporation of America

• A guard was charged with trying to hire someone to kill her CCA supervisor and with delivering fake cocaine (to a man not identified by prosecutors) (2007).

Willacy County State Jail (Raymondville, TX) -- Wackenhut/Geo Group

• The family of a local man killed at a prison run by Wackenhut was awarded $47.5 million by a Willacy County jury. The prisoner was beaten to death four days prior to completing his sentence (2006).
  
• Willacy is also featured in 2000-2005 problems and scandals page

This information was compiled by Nicole Porter and Kathleen Pequeño in 2007 from media reports, and is updated regularly.

Texas private prison corporations, like many private prison corporations, were beginning to see a dip in business until the windfall of September 11, 2001 opened up the market for immigrant detention. But the trend of scandals and problems continued to carry on largely uninterrupted. Here’s some of the problems and scandals in private prisons (and jails and detention centers) that were reported in Texas newspapers from 2000-2005.

For more recent scandals and problems, see our 2006-2007 page.

Ben Reid Community Correctional Facility (Houston, TX) -- Cornell

• The director of employee training at this halfway house for parolees was indicted for intent to distribute drugs (2004)
  
• Seven employees resigned after testing positive for drug use (2004)
  

Bi-State Jail (Texarkansas, TX) -- CiviGenics

• A former CiviGenics jailer was arrested for violating the civil rights of a female prisoner; the jailer was accused of sexual activity with a person in custody (2005)
  
• Three prisoners, including a murder suspect, escaped and were loose for 28 hours (2004)

Bill Clayton Detention Center (Littlefield, TX) -- CSC

• Two Wyoming prisoners escaped from the Bill Clayton Detention Center; four people, including two CSC guards, were arrested for helping the inmates escape (2004)
• This prison is now operated by the GEO Group and there's more on them on our 2006 - present problems page.

Bradshaw State Jail (Henderson, TX) -- MTC

• An prisoner sued an MTC guard for maliciously slamming a door on his fingers causing two fingertips to be severed, and then showing indifference to the resulting medical condition (2003)

Brooks County Detention Center (Fallfurrias, TX) -- LCS Corrections

• An immigrant detainee escaped from Brooks County Detention Center; the resulting manhunt involved over 100 officers from the Brooks County Sheriff’s Department, the Department of Public Safety, the Border Patrol, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and the local fire department (2004)

Bartlett State Jail -- Corrections Corporation of America

• Two escapes were followed by a high-speed car chase (2000)
  

Cleveland Pre-Release Center -- Corrections Corporation of America

• The company pulled out of a contract to operate this prison, citing a disagreement with the local school board over money owed in lieu of taxes (1998)

Cornell Corrections

• A class action lawsuit was filed alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act, and claiming that the company issued favorable but false and misleading statements about the Company's business (2002)
  
• The company had to restate earnings because of an innovative off-the-books transaction that violated the same SEC rules that exposed Enron’s partnerships (2002)

Frio County Detention Center (Pearsall, TX) -- CSC

• When five federal inmates with ties to the Mexican Mafia escaped, it was the fifth escape, involving a total of 14 prisoners since 1996 at the facility (2004) The U.S. Marshals pull their remaining prisoners from the prison citing security concerns (2004)

LaSalle County Federal Detention Center (Encinal, TX) -- Emerald

• Speculative jail was built using nearly $22 million in high-yield revenue bonds issued by the county’s public facilities corporation; the county started project losing money after it could not fill all 624 beds (2002)
  
• Backers of the controversial jail sued the top official in LaSalle County claiming that he had interfered with a $25 million contract to build the facility (2003)

Liberty County Jail (Liberty, TX) -- CCA

• Three prisoners escaped after overpowering a guard; two guards were fired for violating a jail policy which lead to the escapes (2004)

McLennan County Detention Center (Waco, TX) -- CiviGenics

• A guard was indicted for having sex with a female prisoner (2004) A prisoner who escaped was charged with killing a woman while he was a fugitive and a guard was charged with facilitating the escape (2001)
  
• Four top detention center officials resigned (2001-02) Prisoners caused a disturbance and fire in the prison(2001-02)
  
• The prison failed a jail inspection (2002)

Mineral Wells Pre-Parole Transfer Facility (Mineral Wells, TX) -- Corrections Corporation of America

• 23 prisoners and 6 staff contracted e-coli due to poor kitchen hygiene (2000)
  
• 17 prisoners were injured during a riot. The local sheriff’s department was called in when prison staff could not quell the disturbance. (2005)

Reeves County Detention Center (Pecos, TX) -- Wackenhut/Geo Group

• Arizona prisoners stage fights and go on hunger strikes in order to be transferred back to Arizona (2004)

Tarrant County Community Corrections Facility (Mansfield Boot Camp) (Fort Worth, TX) -- CSC

• The company was ordered to pay $38 million to the family of an 18 year-old inmate who died of pneumonia (2004)
• A nurse was convicted of negligent homicide in the prisoner’s death (2002)
  
• Accusations of sexual misconduct by male guards against female prisoners plagued the camp since its opening in 1992. Questions were raised about staff shortages and inadequate medical care. (2001)
  
• Lawsuits were filed alleging sexual abuse; Sen. Chris Harris testified against company saying it was “cutting corners” because of the “corporate bottom line.” (2001)
  
• Tarrant County canceled its contract with CSC (2001)

Willacy County State Jail (Raymondville, TX) -- Wackenhut/Geo Group

• Following an escape, TDCJ learns that electronic sensors on the perimeter fence had not worked since the facility was built, six to eight of the security television monitors were inoperable, and a perimeter patrol officer was sleeping in a car the night of the escape. (2001)

Willacy County Federal Detention Center (Raymondville, TX) -- MTC

• Three Willacy County Commissioners plead guilty after being indicted for receiving kickbacks during the construction of the Management and Training Corporation federal prison project (2005)
  
• State Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr. suspends his consulting work with three companies, MTC, Corplan, and Aguirre Corp., associated with the prison project (2005)

This information is based on a document entitled "Highlights of Private Prison Scandals in Texas." This document was originally prepared by independent criminal justice policy expert Michele Deitch in 2003 using newspaper reports and the database of the Florida Police Benevolent Association. The information was updated by Bob Libal in March, 2005.

Private prison scandals are in the news right now, but they are not new to Texas. Texas has had a number of problems with abuse, violence, mismanagement, and broken promises connected to the private prisons in the Lone Star state. Here's a brief list of some of the many problems that occurred during the 1990s and were reported in Texas newspapers.

Coke County Juvenile Justice Center (Bronte, TX) — Wackenhut/Geo Group

• Several girls were sexually, physically, and mentally abused by Wackenhut employees, including a man with prior conviction for sexual abuse of a child; a lawsuit settled for $1.5 million (1999)
• 15-year old female victim of sexual assault by Wackenhut employee committed suicide in wake of lawsuit settlement that allowed company to avoid accepting responsibility (1999)
• TYC confirmed allegations that some staff members manipulated a “demotion/graduation” system to coerce girls into giving them sexual favors or dancing naked in front of them; some girls were raped or fondled, while others were made to disrobe and shower in the presence of male employees (1995)
  

Brazoria County Detention Center (Angleton, TX) — CCRI

• Guards made a training video of themselves beating, stun-gunning, and unleashing dogs on naked prisoners from Missouri; injured inmates were dragged face down back to their cells (1997)
• Hired convicted felons as guards (1997)
• Typical menu was inadequate and inappropriate (1997)
  

Corrections Corporation of America -- Eden Detention Center

• Daylong riot in which shotgun-toting guards clashed with 400 boisterous prisoners at a low-security facility and at least 17 people were hurt (1996)

Corrections Corporation of America -- Cleveland Pre-Release Center

• Pulled out of a pre-release prison, citing a disagreement with the local school board over money owed in lieu of taxes (1998)
  

Dickens County Correctional Facility (Spur, TX) — Bobby Ross Group

• Montana inmates housed here went hungry and had to wait days for medical care (1997)
• Company does not fully comply with 15 of 22 provisions of the contract with the state of Montana; violations include food service, medical care, security, inmate transfers and disciplinary actions, according to a report by Montana prison officials (1997)
• One inmate is killed in a brawl, a near-riot had to be halted by gunfire from guards, a warden was fired, and two Montana escapees remain on the loose (1996-97)

• 11 former guards and a case manager are indicted on felony charges of sexual assault and improper sexual activity and misdemeanor charges of sexual harassment (1999)
• TDCJ retakes control of the facility (1999)