Regional jail proposal worth a $40,000 study

Unlike other proposed projects that have ended as nonstarters because of a lack of consensus, the idea for a regional jail to serve the Mahoning Valley has been met with widespread acceptance. That's because Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties are facing the same problem today: Too many inmates and not enough beds. With such a consensus, it would be a shame if the idea fizzled.
We, therefore, support the expenditure of $40,000 to study the feasibility of Trumbull and Mahoning counties, and possibly Columbiana County, taking over the closed 2,106-bed medium-security private prison on Youngstown's North Side. The study would show how much it would cost to operate the prison and how many beds would have to be occupied for the counties to break even. The goal should be to make the facility as self-supporting as possible so it isn't a drain on county governments' general fund budgets.
We do not believe it would be a problem finding inmates. A story in the Dec. 9 issue of the Cleveland Plain Dealer puts the whole issue of prison overcrowding in perspective: "The Cuyahoga County Jail has turned away dozens of people charged with non-violent crimes in the last two months to comply with a fire marshal's order to reduce overcrowding."
Cuyahoga County would certainly be a potential supplier of inmates. Even the federal government is facing a space crisis and could be persuaded to send its non-violent offenders to the Youngstown facility.
Federal government's myopia
Unlike other regions in the country, the Valley has a prison just waiting to be used. It was built in the 1990s by Nashville-based Corrections Corporation of America and was in business until July 2001 when the last of the 1,700 federal prisoners were transferred. CCA has expressed a willingness to sell the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center on Hubbard Road to the federal government, but it seems the U.S. Bureau of Prisons is determined to spend taxpayers' dollars on new facilities. Congress has authorized the construction of 12 new prisons.
Ohio Sen. Mike DeWine, a Republican, has been working with bureau officials to persuade them to buy the private prison because there is an urgent need to house inmates. The days when federal prisoners could be kept in county lockups are gone. Given the public's demand for "Toss them in jail and throw away the key" justice and federal sentencing guidelines, the corrections industry has exploded. However, demand for beds still outstrips supply. That's why DeWine wants the federal government to take over NOCC.
Perhaps a compromise is possible: Local governments would purchase or lease the private prison from CCA on condition that Washington commits to a long-term agreement to transfer a set number of federal inmates to the facility and pay the federal per-person rate. Such a contract would provide a dependable revenue stream.
A $40,000 feasibility study is justified and warranted.