| TRAFICANT, James A., Jr., |
March 19, 1998
Washington, D.C. – U. S. Rep. James A. Traficant, Jr. (D–OH) has secured a commitment from District of Columbia prison officials to transfer at least 11 problematic inmates from the private prison facility in Youngstown, Ohio. The facility houses inmates from the District of Columbia, and is operated by Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). Traficant secured the commitment earlier today during a meeting in his Washington, D.C. office with John Clark, corrections trustee for the District of Columbia and Margaret Moore, director of the D.C. Department of Corrections.
Clark and Moore agreed to tour the facility next month with Traficant, and meet with local officials. In addition to transferring at least 11 inmates, Clark and Moore informed Traficant that they are in the process of reevaluating the classification of the inmates at the Youngstown facility. At the end of the reevaluation, additional inmates may be transferred out of the Youngstown facility. The contract between the District of Columbia and CCA stipulates that only low to medium-security inmates can be housed at the facility.
Traficant was also informed that, following the murder of a second inmate last week, the Youngstown facility is operating under "lock down" status, which severely limits the amount of time inmates are out of their cells. In addition, four CCA special operation teams have been brought into the Youngstown facility to conduct comprehensive searches of inmate cells.
Traficant was able to secure assurances from Clark and Moore that local officials will have continued access to the facility in the event of another violent incident.
2009