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Prison privatization plan has opponents
CONCORD —Opponents of privatizing the state's prisons slammed the idea at a legislative hearing, even as contractors put the finishing touches on their bids.
The bill before the House Finance Committee on Tuesday, SB 376, is narrow in scope. It would extend the work of a legislative committee reviewing the bidding process from December 2011 until May 2012.
Although the committee had been tasked with providing input on a Request for Proposals for privatizing a portion or all the state's corrections services, the state put out RFPs in November, just as the committee was completing an interim report on the process.
The RFP, backed by the governor, was authorized as part of the 2012-13 budget, and it did not require legislative approval.
The state issued three RFPs: for a private contractor to build a new men's prison and/or take over operations from the Department of Corrections, to build and/or operate a new women's prison, or to create a hybrid of the two.
While the RFP states that it is only for evaluation purposes and does not obligate the state to award a contract, it has drawn considerable interest, with the largest private prison companies in the country dispatching teams to the New Hampshire.
Several companies are expected to submit proposals for a men's prison by the deadline Friday.
Critics of prison privatization used the hearing to fault the lack of oversight and public involvement in the process so far.
“I think what you should do is what's not happened yet,” Chris Dornin, the founder of Citizens for Criminal Justice Reform, told the panel. “Let one of the policy committees look at it, send it down to Criminal Justice. These are enormous policy decisions, and you're going to be making them without much input or information.”
Dornin was among people who lined up to speak against private prisons, including union correctional officers.
Critics contend that private prison companies cut corners, jeopardizing public safety and the welfare of inmates. Privatization backers say it's an effective way to control corrections budgets.
The bill also had an opponent in DOC Assistant Commissioner William McGonagle, who told the committee that he doubted the usefulness of continuing the review when the deadlines for the RFP were right around the corner.
McGonagle is also against privatization, which prompted some representatives to question how objective DOC could be in writing the RFPs and evaluating the responses.
“I state unequivocally that is not the case,” McGonagle said, referring to the suggestion that DOC officials could not be objective. “The RFPs were drafted with the full intent to capture all responsibilities of DOC and present them to the vendor so they know what's expected of them.”
The bid submissions would be confidential, he said.
The Senate already passed the bill extending the work of the committee.
A House work session on the bill is scheduled for Thursday.
The bill before the House Finance Committee on Tuesday, SB 376, is narrow in scope. It would extend the work of a legislative committee reviewing the bidding process from December 2011 until May 2012.
Although the committee had been tasked with providing input on a Request for Proposals for privatizing a portion or all the state's corrections services, the state put out RFPs in November, just as the committee was completing an interim report on the process.
The RFP, backed by the governor, was authorized as part of the 2012-13 budget, and it did not require legislative approval.
The state issued three RFPs: for a private contractor to build a new men's prison and/or take over operations from the Department of Corrections, to build and/or operate a new women's prison, or to create a hybrid of the two.
While the RFP states that it is only for evaluation purposes and does not obligate the state to award a contract, it has drawn considerable interest, with the largest private prison companies in the country dispatching teams to the New Hampshire.
Several companies are expected to submit proposals for a men's prison by the deadline Friday.
Critics of prison privatization used the hearing to fault the lack of oversight and public involvement in the process so far.
“I think what you should do is what's not happened yet,” Chris Dornin, the founder of Citizens for Criminal Justice Reform, told the panel. “Let one of the policy committees look at it, send it down to Criminal Justice. These are enormous policy decisions, and you're going to be making them without much input or information.”
Dornin was among people who lined up to speak against private prisons, including union correctional officers.
Critics contend that private prison companies cut corners, jeopardizing public safety and the welfare of inmates. Privatization backers say it's an effective way to control corrections budgets.
The bill also had an opponent in DOC Assistant Commissioner William McGonagle, who told the committee that he doubted the usefulness of continuing the review when the deadlines for the RFP were right around the corner.
McGonagle is also against privatization, which prompted some representatives to question how objective DOC could be in writing the RFPs and evaluating the responses.
“I state unequivocally that is not the case,” McGonagle said, referring to the suggestion that DOC officials could not be objective. “The RFPs were drafted with the full intent to capture all responsibilities of DOC and present them to the vendor so they know what's expected of them.”
The bid submissions would be confidential, he said.
The Senate already passed the bill extending the work of the committee.
A House work session on the bill is scheduled for Thursday.