Cushing prison to house inmates from Puerto Rico

CUSHING — Puerto Rico will send as many as 480 male inmates to a Cushing prison under an agreement announced Tuesday with a U.S. corrections company.

At least 240 inmates will be sent to the Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing in February under a contract with Corrections Corporation of America, according to a company news release.

The remaining inmates will be sent there by mid- year. The two-year contract can be renewed for two additional one-year terms.

Cimarron currently houses 650 inmates. The new population is expected to be about 1,100 following the arrival of the inmates from Puerto Rico.

It is unclear how much the contract is worth or how the inmates will be selected.

The corporation previously had a contract with Puerto Rico in 2002.

“We are delighted to once again include Puerto Rico as one of our government partners,” said Damon Hininger, who is president and CEO of the CCA. “We value the trust Puerto Rico has placed in us and will work closely with our partner to ensure a smooth transition. Additionally, we are pleased this contract will improve utilization at the Cimarron Correctional Facility.”

Representatives from CCA and the Cimarron Correctional Facility were unavailable Tuesday to comment on how the Cushing site was selected or if the company would hire additional employees to match the inmate increase.