| 2/26/2007 9:00:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | New inmates, staff added to BV prison
by Jason Starr
Mail Staff Writer
One hundred new inmates are headed for the Buena Vista Correctional Complex in March as part of a statewide effort to alleviate inmate backlog.
The prison got the OK from the Department of Corrections to hire 31 new staff members to handle the influx. Most of the new staffers are currently attending basic training in Cañon City and plan to move to the Buena Vista area next month.
Mark Broaddus, in his first year as warden, said current prison staff and inmates are taking the increases in stride.
"We don't see it being a significant change," Broaddus said, adding that current staff is looking forward to the shift-swapping flexibility that comes with bringing on new co-workers.
"It gives us additional coverage," he said. "Everyone will have to work with the new staff and they will break them in, but they are used to that."
The prison, currently with an inmate population of approximately 1,200, will absorb the 100 new prisoners by double bunking cells that are currently occupied by one inmate. Most inmates are used to living in pairs and have done so at some point in their correctional experience, Broaddus said.
"Some prefer double bunking," he said.
The state Legislature approved the double bunking plan to alleviate a statewide inmate backlog that peaked at 600 inmates last year, Department of Corrections spokeswoman Alison Morgan said. The backlog puts a strain on county jails, which hold Department of Corrections inmates until prison beds become available.
Last fall, 480 prisoners were transferred to a private prison in Oklahoma. Still, the backlog is currently at 300 prisoners, Morgan said.
"We have worked diligently to bring these numbers down because we recognize the burden it puts on county jails," Morgan said. "Our ideal is to maintain that backlog under 200."
Most of the new Buena Vista staff members started basic training in Cañon City Feb. 15. Broaddus hopes to have all the new positions filled by the end of the month. The new inmates are scheduled to be phased in over a 30-day period in March.
Buena Vista handles low and medium security inmates, and the new prisoners will fall into those categories.
"It will be the same makeup we currently have, just 100 more of them," Broaddus said.
Later this year, the prison will be applying for accreditation from the American Correctional Association. The application will involve an in-depth audit of the prison.
Broaddus said the prison recently upgraded its fire safety and door locking systems in advance of the audit.
"We finally got to a point where we feel confident we can meet all the standards for accreditation," he said.
Getting the nationally accepted accreditation will help the prison avoid liability issues.
"It gives the state a lot of protection from either legitimate of frivolous lawsuits, especially related to conditions of confinement," Broaddus said.
Another new aspect of the prison is a composting program that started last summer. The program takes food waste from the kitchen and processes it for use in the prison garden and landscaping of the grounds.
"It's a good way not to be dumping that into the landfill and put that stuff to use," Broaddus said.
The composting program augments a recycling program the prison has had for several years.
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