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January 11, 2007
Consultant: Build more cells at Fort Madison

By William Petroski
Register Staff Writer

State prisons in Fort Madison and Mitchellville would undergo major overhauls under construction plans recommended today to the Iowa Board of Corrections.

The Durrant Group of Dubuque, a consulting firm hired by state officials to study Iowa's prison system, recommended building new space for 800 inmates at the Iowa State Penitentiary at Fort Madison to replace antiquated buildings, some of which date to the 1800s.

The consultants also proposed consolidating all prison units for women at Mitchellville, where new space for 512 inmates would be constructed. The plan calls for shifting women out of state prisons at Oakdale and Mount Pleasant, and for establishing a new prison reception center for female inmates at Mitchellville. Some older buildings at Mitchellville would be replaced.

The consultant's study was requested last year by the Iowa Legislature following the escape of two dangerous inmates in late 2005 at the Fort Madison penitentiary. Both inmates were recaptured - one in Illinois and another in Missouri - but questions arose whether the penitenitiary's maximum-security unit was too old to prevent future escapes.

No decisions were made today by the state corrections board. Michael Lewis, a managing principal of The Durrant Group, said today's findings were preliminary and a final report won't be issued until April 1. There were no estimates provided today on the costs of the prison projects that were discussed.

State Sen. Eugene Fraise, a Fort Madison Democrat, who attended the meeting, said he wasn't opposed to construct new facilities in his community to incarcerate maximum-security prisoners. But he added that the existing prison, despite its age, can be used to safely hold less dangerous inmates.

"To abandon that facility, I think, would be a foolish move because we have spent a lot of money there over the years" on repairs and other improvements, Fraise said.

The consultant's study said taxpayer money would be better spent on constructing new facilities rather than repairing the existing prison at Fort Madison.

Prison officials have said the penitentiary requires $26.25 million in major maintenance work over the next five years. The cost for anew maximum-security prison is estimated at $80 million or more.

The consultants also recommended today that the Newton Correctional Facility be expanded by constructing space for about 250 to 300 additional inmates.

Iowa currently has 8,856 inmates in state prison space designed to hold 8,333 convicts. Over the next decade, the prison population is expected to increase to 10,982 inmates.

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