Is Youngstown’s private prison closing? There’s no clear answer

Absent an unequivocal state- ment from the chief executive officer of Corrections Corporation of America about the future of its prison in Youngstown, city officials should err on the side of caution and prepare for the worst.

Why?

Because CCA’s recent announcement that 185 employees would be terminated May 30 at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center was couched in language that must have given government officials cold sweats.

Indeed, Mayor John A. McNally would do well to instruct the finance department to calculate the economic loss to the city and the region if the 2,015-bed facility closed its doors.

And before we’re criticized for indulging in idle speculation, consider this fact: The mayor received a letter from Atty. Andrea Cooper, CCA’s senior director of human-resources compliance, that not only served notice of the permanent reduction in payroll, but also explained that the termination of the 185 employees is being triggered by a “facility closing.”

The letter was issued to meet the requirements of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act [WARN], which requires 60 days’ notice of closings and layoffs at large facilities.

Atty. Cooper sought to walk back the contents of her letter when questioned by The Vindicator, saying that “the facility itself is not shuttering” because CCA has another contract to house federal inmates. She then referred further questions to Jonathan Burns, the Nashville-based corporation’s senior manager of public affairs.

But rather than provide reassurance, Burns’ comments simply added to the uncertainty. He said CCA would cancel the WARN notice and cancel or reduce the 185 furloughs if the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center on Hubbard Road gets sufficient inmates from other sources to replace the 1,400 federal inmates who have been transferred to two other facilities. The federal Bureau of Prisons decided not to renew its contract with CCA.

The company has a separate U.S. Marshals Service contract to house 580 inmates at NEOCC. It expires Dec. 31, 2018.

CLEAR STATEMENT NEEDED

Given all of the uncertainty surrounding the future of the 18-year-old facility, we believe a clear statement from Damon Hininger, president and CEO, is necessary.

The city of Youngstown has been a good host, and despite some major operational and management problems at the private prison, City Hall has remained steadfast in its support.

Indeed, a majority of the residents have welcomed the facility’s presence because of the jobs that have been created and the economic impact it has had in the Mahoning Valley. It’s not just the income taxes paid by the several hundred employees, but the multiplier effect of the $12.7 million payroll and $4.3 million in property taxes and for utilities and local goods and services.

There’s a lot at stake, which is why we have been harshly critical of CCA for not making public the reasons given by the federal bureau for not renewing the contract.

How can this region help the company secure other government contracts if we don’t know why Washington decided to go in a different direction? Was cost a factor? Did the NOCC fail to meet federal standards? Or, was it political?

As we have pointed out previously, this area has two members of Congress who are in a position to act on CCA’s behalf, but Democrat Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, and Republican Bill Johnson of Marietta, R-6th, need information about what’s going on with CCA and with the private prison in Youngstown.

It’s time for full disclosure. CCA owes that much to the people of the Mahoning Valley.