By Dan Boyd
Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
SANTA FE, N.M.— The news that a privately run prison in northwestern New Mexico that employs about 300 staffers will close at the end of September was the latest body blow to a region still staggered by recent mine layoffs.
The Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan, which houses about 1,200 minimum-security male inmates, received notification this week that its contract will not be renewed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Traci Quintana, a spokeswoman for the prison, said Wednesday that employees are being given the option of transferring to other prisons run by the Corrections Corporation of America, a private company.
But Sen. George Munoz, D-Gallup, said many of the workers have families and other ties to the area and may not want to pack up and leave. He said news of the prison’s closure largely came as a surprise.
“I don’t think anyone knew anything until the employees found out Monday,” Munoz said.
Although the Cibola County Correctional Center is part of the federal prison system, a top-ranking official with the state Corrections Department said the agency is open to hiring at least some of the prison’s employees —and possibly using the facility to house state-level inmates.
However, Alex Tomlin, a deputy secretary for the Corrections Department, said making that happen could be tricky given a state budget crunch that’s already prompted spending cuts.
“We certainly need space, but we have to be responsible because we’re on the taxpayers’ dime,” Tomlin said Wednesday.
A recent report by the New Mexico Sentencing Commission projected the state’s inmate population will increase in coming years — it’s expected to hit 7,561 in the current budget year — and state-run prisons are already at 97 percent capacity, Tomlin said.
In addition to the privately run prison in Milan, there are already two other nearby prisons — the state-run Western New Mexico Correctional Facility and the privately run New Mexico Women’s Correctional Facility, both in the Grants area.
Meanwhile, Munoz and Sen. Clemente Sanchez, D-Grants, said Wednesday that they plan to host a town hall meeting in the next few weeks for families affected by the facility’s pending closure.
“Sen. Sanchez and I are exploring every option to help find employment for the 300 people who will be impacted by the sudden announcement that the Milan facility will be closed,” Munoz said.
Inmates at the Milan prison will be transferred to other prisons, a process that has already started, Quintana said.
It was unclear Wednesday how many of the 1,200 inmates might be New Mexico residents.
The Cibola County Correctional Center has been operated by the CCA since 1998.