Ky. may temporarily reopen private prisons amid overcrowding
Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary John Tilley says he is considering temporarily reopening two private prisons to ease overcrowding.
The Courier-Journal reports Kentucky stopped housing inmates in private prisons in 2013. But recent unexpected growth in the number of prisoners has left both state prisons and county jails at capacity.
Tilley says the idea of reopening the Marion Adjustment Center in St. Mary and the Lee Adjustment Center in Beattyville seems like the only viable option in the short term.
The two prisons are owned by the Nashville-based Corrections Corp. of America and are still are being maintained.
Another CCA-owned facility in Kentucky closed in 2012 amid reports of sexual abuse. Tilley says the state's top priority would be accountability if the other private prisons are reopened.
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