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Dive brief:
- Contractors broke ground Oct. 30 on the $532 million Leavenworth federal prison and satellite prison camp, FOX 4 Kansas City reported. They will replace the antiquated structure built in 1897 known as the “Big Top” that served as the nation’s first maximum security prison, and today is the Bureau of Prisons’ oldest facility.
- Bethesda, Maryland-based Clark Construction is the general contractor and will build the replacements on undeveloped land owned by the Bureau of Prisons east of the existing penitentiary, according to FOX 4 Kansas City. Congress appropriated construction funding in three installments in fiscal years 2019, 2020 and 2021.
- The Leavenworth Federal Correctional Institution and Federal Penitentiary is expected to be completed by May 2026, FOX 4 Kansas City reported.
Diving knowledge:
The replacement correctional facility will span approximately 560,000 square feet and house up to 1,500 inmates. In total, the new facilities are expected to house around 340 prison officers and additional staff.
Once the old prison complex is empty, project officials say it could be used Formation of the Office of Prisons or as a historical museum, but no final decisions have been made, according to FOX 4 Kansas City. The building’s electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems have long been out of date.
Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters said the new complex would have space for programs for treatment, education, work and to connect with family in a more normal environment, according to the Kansas Reflector. While the new facility is designed to improve conditions for both inmates and staff, correctional officers say staff shortages must also be addressed.
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, which has jurisdiction over the Bureau of Prisons, said the new prison complex was the second largest federal investment largest in the state’s history, behind only the $1.2 billion National Biodefense and Agriculture Facility in Manhattan, Kansas, built more than a decade ago.
