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Politics

California Begins Sending Inmates To Private Prisons To Reduce Overcrowding

California Begins Sending Inmates To Private Prisons To Reduce Overcrowding
California is beginning to transfer inmates to private prisons across the state. The transfers are part of California's court-mandated plan to reduce overcrowding in state-run prisons.

California is beginning to transfer inmates out of its state prisons. The transfers are part of a court-mandated plan to reduce overcrowding in state prisons.

More than 2,100 California inmates are being transferred from state-run prisons to three private facilities within the state.

James Black, with the GEO group that operates the facilities said GEO’s prisons must meet the same standards required for the state’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

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“All of our facilities are ACA accredited, American Correctional Association accredited. We still operate under the oversight of the entity that we are contracted with. So we still operate under, basically, CDCR oversight,” Black said.

Black said California is paying GEO $60 per inmate per day. He expects all 2,100 transfers to be complete by the beginning of December. The inmates require medium-level security.

California has been ordered to reduce its prison population by more than 8,000 inmates by the end of February. These transfers are part of an effort to comply.