Mahoning commissioners make plea to retain federal prisoners in Youngstown

YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County commissioners unanimously support retaining federally convicted and sentenced undocumented immigrants at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center on Hubbard Road.

These inmates constitute about 75 percent of the approximately 2,000 prisoners housed at NEOCC, which is owned by the for-profit Nashville, Tenn.-based Corrections Corp. of America.

CCA’s contract with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to house the immigrants here at $69.72 per inmate per day for 1,507 inmates expires May 31, 2015.

CCA must submit a competitive proposal to the bureau by next Thursday if it wants to continue to house the immigrants at NEOCC.

The loss of the BOP contract would eliminate most of the 418 jobs at the Hubbard Road prison in Youngstown, which has an annual payroll of about $21.7 million, CCA said.

“It’s important because of the jobs that we would lose. We’d lose over 400 jobs,” if the prison loses the contract, said Carol Rimedio-Righetti, chairwoman of the county commissioners. “It’s important for all government entities to stay together and put these resolutions out,” she said today.

For the complete story, read Friday's Vindicator and Vindy.com