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Iowa Gov. Chet Culver is shortchanging citizens of the state by holding firm to a campaign promise to make certain the Iowa State Penitentiary (ISP) in Fort Madison remains there, a trio of legislators said at a press conference Monday.
Culver has endorsed a plan, supported by a bipartisan group of legislators, to replace the aging maximum-security prison in Fort Madison with a new $120 million facility, part of a $240 million Department of Corrections infrastructure overhaul that he included in his proposed budget for 2009.
Reps. Steve Luken (R-New Vienna), Lance Horbach (R-Tama), and Dave Tjepkes (R-Gowrie) told reporters they aren’t necessarily against rebuilding a new prison in Fort Madison, but want lawmakers to have a serious discussion about the best place to locate it before making a final decision.
Critics of a tacit agreement to build a new facility in Fort Madison say the community in far southeast Iowa might not be the best location to serve the entire state, particularly since the only other maximum-security prison is also located in eastern Iowa, in Anamosa. That makes the prison less accessible to people in central and western Iowa and adds additional costs to the state budget because of transportation expenses and duplication of services.
Culver called for the construction of a new prison in Fort Madison during his State of the State address earlier this year, repeating a vow he made when he signed a pledge to the Fort Madison Chamber of Commerce during the 2006 gubernatorial campaign. The Iowa State Penitentiary employs about 550 workers in the Fort Madison area, a major economic engine in southeast Iowa. Built in 1839, it is one of nine state-operated correctional facilities and one of two maximum security prisons in Iowa. The other prisons in the state include: Anamosa State Penitentiary, Clarinda Correctional Facility, Fort Dodge Correctional Facility, Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville, Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Oakdale, Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility, Newton Correctional Facility and the North Central Correctional Facility in Rockwell City.
Some lawmakers have advocated building a replacement prison in central Iowa where the state correctional system draws a large number of inmates. In addition, placing the prison in a more populated and centrally located area would reduce the cost of transporting inmates for health services, attracting professional staff and providing easier access to inmates’ families.
“If we’re going to make a large building project and lay it on the expense of the taxpayers, we think that the decision should be based on efficiency and effectiveness. We don’t think it should be determined on a political basis,” Tjepkes said.
Lawmakers said that employee recruitment would continue to be an important issue since nearly 80 percent of the employees at the ISP are nearing retirement age.
The lawmakers also said that a vote shouldn’t be taken until the state issues a new report that determines how much space is needed for minimum-, medium- and maximum-security prisoners. In addition, lawmakers need to continue exploring programs to cut down the number of repeat offenders who return to prison.
The lawmakers also criticized a proposal by Culver to shift $90 million from the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund to the general fund and instead use that money to help pay for the new facility, regardless of where it is located. Horbach said such a move could potentially save the state $450 million in costs over a 10-year period.
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