State plans to close, sell Rifle prison - but who's buying?

Face The State Staff Report

In response to Gov. Bill Ritter's request that all state departments and agencies propose 10 percent cuts to their budgets for the coming fiscal year, the Department of Corrections is proposing the closure and sale of a minimum security prison in Rifle.

Rifle Correctional CenterState of Colo.

As part of its proposed $51.2 million in reductions, DOC officials are proposing decommissioning the Rifle Correctional Center, with the ultimate goal of selling it to a private buyer. Officials estimate the sale of the prison could generate about $7.7 million. The legislature is currently considering the proposal, but has not yet approved it. The problem, however, is that there is no prospective buyer for the property and real estate in Rifle is not immune from the nationwide real estate slump.

Capitol insiders had recently speculated that Shell Oil might be interested in purchasing the prison and converting into employee housing. According to James Thurman, Shell's government affairs manager, the company has no such plans. "There is no truth to that rumor," he said. "We have no interest in buying that prison for any reason."

Evan Dreyer, Ritter's spokesperson, said he is unaware of a potential buyer for the property, but that it was still early in the process.

The proposal to close and sell the prison requires a nod from the General Assembly and is currently being considered by the Joint Budget Committee. Despite not having approval for the sale from the legislature and the lack of interested buyers, the DOC is still making plans to transfer Rifle inmates and staff to other facilities around the state. By closing the facility, the DOC can reduce operating costs by an estimated $606,021 each year, while also gaining revenue from the sale.

According to DOC spokesperson Katherine Sanguinetti, the department is not officially decommissioning the Rifle prison, but it must have a plan to do so in place by the end of March, and be ready to transfer personnel by the end of May in the event the legislature approves the proposal. Sanguinetti said the growth rate of inmates entering Colorado's prisons over the last few years has slowed. In 2006, the DOC was taking in an average of 98 new prisoners statewide per month. That number has since dropped to 26 new prisoners a month. As such, Sanguinetti says there are open beds throughout the state that can accommodate the 190 prisoners currently housed at the Rifle facility.

Sen. Al White, R-Hayden, who represents the area in the state Senate, objects to the decommissioning and sale. White said he is concerned that by transferring prisoners from the minimum security Rifle facility to facilities housing higher security inmates, could increase the recidivism rate, the rate of convicted criminals who re-offend and return to prison, for the Rifle inmates. In response, White, who is a member of the Joint Budget Committee, is working on alternatives to make sure the Rifle prison stays open.

Sanguinetti said the low ecidivism rate of Rifle inmates is something the DOC is aware of, although it does not calculate recidivism by prison because inmates are moved so frequently. She added that there are three other minimum security prisons able to absorb some of the Rifle population.

Rep. Randy Baumgardner, R-Hot Sulphur Springs, represents Rifle in the state House and is also opposing the proposal to shut down the prison. While the DOC is prepared to offer the prison's 57 employees other positions around the state, Baumgardner predicts most of them won't want to relocate. "Most of these people won't leave," Baumgardner said. "That's where their families are. I think this is going to add to unemployment in the area."

Other budget cuts proposed by the DOC include selling a 1,000-acre ranch in Chaffee County, delaying the expansion of two other facilities and closing the Women's Correctional Facility in Canon City.