Prison's population continues to grow

The private prison expects to have about 1,900 inmates by the end of the year.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The private prison on Hubbard Road continues to grow, and authorities want to hire bilingual corrections officers to converse with Spanish-speaking inmates.
The Northeast Ohio Correctional Center had an inmate population of about 1,100 on Tuesday, said Roseann Rubosky, program manager/acting public information officer. The facility can house 2,106.
Rubosky said the prison contracts with the federal Bureau of Prisons to house illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, and contracts with the U.S. Marshals Service to house federal detainees.
The illegal immigrants are men who illegally entered the country and committed low-level federal offenses. Marshals' detainees are awaiting placement in a federal prison or court hearings.
Bureau of Prisons inmates started arriving in July, about 40 each week, with a goal of 1,400 by the end of the year, Rubosky said. The number of marshal detainees generally hovers around 500, she said.
Speaking Spanish
Rubosky said many of the illegal immigrants speak Spanish, and having bilingual corrections officers would be beneficial. She said any second language is a plus.
The job pays nearly $16 per hour with benefits, Rubosky said. She didn't have the number immediately available Tuesday, but said some of the corrections officers hired so far were laid-off deputies from this area.
Applicants must have a high school education, valid driver's license and submit to a background check and training.
Rubosky said the prison expects to have around 1,900 inmates and 450 employees by the end of the year with an annual payroll of $15 million.
In December 2004, the Bureau of Prisons awarded a contract to Corrections Corporation of America of Nashville, parent company of NOCC.
Some 1,300 prisoners, classified as low-security, will be housed at NOCC, and that population number will remain in effect for four years.
CCA will be paid $129 million during the initial four-year contract period. It also will have three, two-year options to extend the contract, according to Vindicator files.
The private prison opened in 1997 and was mothballed in July 2001 when it lost its contract to house federal prisoners. It reopened in early April 2004 when it contracted with the marshal service to hold sentenced federal inmates from the Washington, D.C., area.
meade@vindy.com