6,100-Bed Facility Proposed in California County

ADELANTO, Calif. — The City of Adelanto in San Bernardino County has moved forward in its plans to build a new 6,100-bed state correctional facility after the City Council approved a $55,700 contract with an environmental consultant to conduct studies on the land that would house the prison.
 
The City is also negotiating with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to build the facility, which would feature two side-by-side buildings and would create an estimated 2,000 jobs in the region. The proposed site is in an industrial area near the current San Bernardino County Detention Center.
 
If CDCR agrees to the project, the City of Adelanto would either fund construction and operations of the facility through private financing or by taking out a long-term bond, according to reports. Officials expect CDCR to make a decision by mid-2011, and construction of the new correctional facility would then take another 18-24 months.
 
Also in the works in Adelanto is the renovation of the former city-owned prison that was sold to GEO Group last year for a reported $28 million. GEO has closed the facility while it waits to land a new contract and has promised to rehire the 100 city employees that lost their jobs after the acquisition after they land a contract.