Ex-tent prison in South Texas, site of 2015 riot, to be sold

Published March 17, 2017

A county in South Texas is selling a former tent-city prison that was largely destroyed in an inmate riot to a private prison company.

The Valley Morning Star (http://bit.ly/2ngwhna ) reports that Willacy County commissioners approved the sale to Management and Training Corp. The Utah-based company has operated the prison since it opened in 2006.

The Willacy County Correctional Center in Raymondville was a minimum-security unit of tent-like domes. After the 2015 riot, the unit was uninhabitable. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons canceled its contract with MTC.

Commissioner Oscar DeLuna says the county agreed to sell the 53-acre facility for the amount owed on its bonds. MTC also will pay Willacy County $3 daily for each inmate held there.

Officials say Immigration and Customs Enforcement has expressed interest in the facility.

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Information from: Valley Morning Star, http://www.valleystar.com

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/us/ex-tent-prison-in-south-texas-site-of-2015-riot-to-be-sold