Bureau Taps Pa. Detention Center for Possible Expansion

DECATUR TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The federal Bureau of Prisons asked Cornell Companies Inc., a private prison operator, to submit a proposal to expand a private prison here.

Houston-based Cornell runs the 1,500-bed Moshannon Valley Correctional Facility, the only detention center for criminal illegal immigrants in the Northeast, according to reports.

The facility, under contract with the bureau, opened in 2006 and is already being considered for expansion due to a rapidly growing inmate population.

The bureau is looking at several options for housing additional criminal illegal immigrants and is considering the Moshannon Valley center due to its proximity to Washington and other major cities.

Cornell submitted a proposal that would expand the center’s capacity by as much as 50 percent to 100 percent, according to reports.

Although Cornell is not guaranteed consideration on account of its earlier contract with the bureau, company officials are optimistic about their chances because of the government’s satisfaction with facility operations.