Public tours offered Thursday of a massive expansion to the Coyote Ridge prison in central Washington gave hundreds of people a chance to see where thieves, rapists and murderers will soon live.
By SHANNON DININNY
Associated Press
Michelle Duncan, left, a correctional unit supervisor, leads a tour group through the new expansion of Coyote Ridge prison in Connell, Wash., on Thursday, Jan. 22. The $230 million expansion is expected to begin accepting inmates on Feb. 3. (AP Photo/Shannon Dininny) |
CONNELL, Wash. — Public tours offered Thursday of a massive expansion to the Coyote Ridge prison in central Washington gave hundreds of people a chance to see where thieves, rapists and murderers will soon live.
The $230 million expansion, the largest construction project that wasn’t transportation-related in Washington state last year, creates 2,048 new beds for both minimum- and medium-security inmates, plus 100 beds in a segregation unit intended for troublesome inmates.
The first inmates are expected to arrive Feb. 3.
The opening of the new prison units comes as the state seeks ways to cut spending amid a projected $6 billion budget deficit over the next two years, but also to bring home some 1,000 inmates who have been confined in out-of-state facilities due to a shortage of prison beds.
The state Department of Corrections already delayed the opening several months, saving an estimated $8.5 million, prison Superintendent Jeff Uttecht said. Coyote Ridge also plans to close one unit of about 300 beds in the old prison and cut 33 jobs to save money.
Some workers may transfer to the new facility, which created 450 new jobs ... Full Story