“You deal with pros and cons either way,” he said.ĬoreCivic currently runs 26 halfway houses across the country. And he believes the debate over public versus private is a legitimate one. Mostly, he was concerned about high staff turnover with the big companies. "No one, including myself, is not saying that there isn't tremendous opportunity to improve outcomes." - Greg Mauro, Community Corrections Division Director “No one, including myself, is not saying that there isn't tremendous opportunity to improve outcomes,” he said. It's the ongoing renovations, upkeep, utilities, all those things that could also fall on the city's dime.”Īll of that could lead to cities or counties spending more than the state reimbursement.īut Mauro said the switch to GEO and CoreCivic a few years ago did raise questions about performance and incentives, even in his department. “It's not just the purchase of the building. “If the city continues to go down the road of purchasing properties, those are additional costs that we have to account for,” he said. But, according to Mauro, publicly run facilities tend to pay higher staff salaries and must pay overhead to maintain their own buildings. The state currently reimburses halfway house operators a standard rate of about $48 per resident per day. It wasn’t until a few years ago that GEO and CoreCivic took over the majority of the contracts. What people don’t realize, according to Mauro, is that Denver’s halfway houses have been privately run since the 1970s, but by smaller companies. CoreCivic’s will last at least another year. Meanwhile, as the city scrambled for a cohesive plan, it temporarily extended the contracts. The city’s now considering purchasing one or more of the facilities once owned by the private companies. Mauro said they had to move an entire substance abuse program into a local jail. Some of those 500 residents were released on parole, while others were relocated to other publicly run reentry centers around the state.Ĭredit Ali Budner / 91.5 KRCC Greg Mauro is director of Denver's Community Corrections Division “That was the biggest shock, is what do we do with the people that are in placement and their families and the uncertainty around that,” Mauro said. "The decision kind of to jump out of a plane without a parachute, I think is what I've had the most concern with." - Greg Mauro, Community Corrections Division Director He said the decision affected about 500 residents. Dealing with the aftermath fell in his lap. “The decision kind of to jump out of a plane without a parachute, I think is what I've had the most concern with,” said Greg Mauro, who, as director of the Community Corrections Division, oversees halfway house contracts for the city and county of Denver. Then, last August, she brought it to a vote, and City Council decided to cut ties with both companies. So CdeBaca solicited public comments on the issue. You're making profit while they're taking your drug tests." - Candi CdeBaca, Denver City Councilwoman You're making profit while they're on your ankle monitors. "You're making profit while they're in community corrections. “I was really bothered by the fact that 70 percent of our community corrections beds were in the control of these two companies that we knew were committing egregious harms nationally, in the private prison side and the immigration detention side of the work,” she said. It’s a facility that has drawn criticism for operating under alleged subpar conditions. CdeBaca had also recently been active in protesting the immigration detention center run by GEO Group in Aurora, just south of Denver. You're making profit while they're taking your drug tests.”Īnd there was another thing. “You're making profit while they're in community corrections. “If they're in private prisons, you're making money,” she said. The two companies were industry giants GEO Group and CoreCivic, and CdeBaca was skeptical that they’re motivated to help people like her brother. Credit City of Denver Candi CdeBaca is the Denver City Councilwoman for District 9
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