Robstown Private Prison Set to Open
ROBSTOWN--In about a week and half, a private prison called the Coastal Bend Detention Center will open up in Robstown. Today, we got a tour of the 250,000 square foot facility just before the public gets to see it next week.
The private prison will house federal prisoners, waiting for trial in the Coastal Bend. The company running the facility said it's a state-of-the-art prison that's very secure.
It's moving in day at the Coastal Bend Detention Center in Robstown. The private prison will house about 1,000 federal prisoners by the end of the year. This $40 million project has been a work in progress for three years.
"You remember our construction superintendent died in the plane crash," said Richard Harbison of LCS Corrections Services, Inc, the Louisiana-based company in charge of the facility. "That set us back months. Some of the permitting set us back months. So it's been an uphill battle."
Harbison gave us a short tour, showing us this new prison and it's recreation area. He said there are multiple layers of security inside the facility. If inmates get to the outer layers, there is razor wire on top of this 15-foot fence, a stun fence and a concrete barrier below it so nobody can dig their way out.
"There's no such thing as an escape proof prison," Harbison said. "These fellas 24 hours a day 7 days a week to lay in their bunk, trying to figure out how to get out. We just try to stay one step ahead of them."
The private prison also has motion detectors, surveillance cameras and a state-of-the-art control room. They also put in a siren. Something residents demanded.
"So if we had a potential problem or we can't account for somebody, the first thing we do is turn on the siren and start notifying all the police agencies," Harbison said.
Corrections officers will patrol the perimeter around the clock. The private prison is vowing to hire qualified people and plan to start taking in federal prisoners by mid-November.
(Source of article: http://www.kiiitv.com)
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