PRIVATE PRISON GOING UP IN CALIFORNIA CITY

CALIFORNIA CITY - The biggest construction project to hit the city in years
is taking shape, with 950 cells already in place at the $100 million
California City Correctional Center.

"This is going to be the biggest private prison in the country," said Daniel
Vasquez, warden for the California City Correctional Center.

Vasquez, who has 30 years' experience with the California Department of
Corrections, was hired as a prison consultant in September by
Nashville-based Corrections Corporation of America.

When the prison opens in June, Vasquez will take his place as warden.
Previously, he served as warden for San Quentin state prison for 10 years,
and has 22 years' experience in prison administration.

While construction continues at the 2,304-bed facility, the company still
has no contract to house inmates.

"I can't believe the state would overlook 2,304 beds," said Vasquez. "Maybe
it's political." He said it would be in the best interest of the overcrowded
state prison system for the California Department of Corrections to make use
of the facility, but acknowledged there has been some reluctance on the part
of the corrections officers' union to support large-scale private prisons.

"I used to have reservations about private prisons, but now I'm all for
them," said Vasquez. "I kicked the tires of CCA for a few years before I
signed the contract. ... I wasn't going to jeopardize my career reputation."
Vasquez left the state Department of Corrections in 1994.

According to Vasquez, CDC officials have indicated they might consider using
the facility as a reception center, where parole violators would be
processed for final placement in another prison. Inmates would likely stay
six weeks at the most.

"A reception center would be ideal," California City Mayor Larry Adams said
during a tour of the prison site at Twenty Mule Team Parkway and Virginia
Boulevard. "They'd be here six weeks and then be gone."

In the meantime, Vasquez and CCA are looking for office space, with an eye
toward opening a recruitment center by mid-November. Up to 400 jobs are
expected to be created to keep the prison running, including guards,
clerical, medical, food service and others. The annual payroll is estimated
at $15 million.

Recruitment will begin in California City and expand throughout the Antelope
Valley, Vasquez said. Before the recruitment office opens, applications will
be available through City Hall and forwarded to Vasquez.

Cerro Coso Community College and the Kern County Human Services Development
office in Mojave will be actively involved in recruiting and training
efforts.

Checked-by: Rolf Ernst