FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Governor Matt Bevin announced that the Kentucky Department Corrections and the Personnel Cabinet announced plan to operate a new state-run prison in Floyd County to address overcrowding in county jails. The jail will also bring new jobs to Eastern Kentucky.
Southeast State Correctional Complex will be housed in an existing privately-owned, 650-bed facility in Wheelwright, Kentucky. The prison will be used medium-security inmates and staffed and run by DOC under the same policies and procedures used in current state-owned facilities.
The hope is that the 10-year-lease will alleviate the backlog of inmates in county jails awaiting transfer to state prison.
“The lease of the Southeast State facility will allow us to simultaneously address overcrowding in our prison system while being smart with state resources,” said Gov. Bevin. “The lack of available beds in our state facilities is placing a growing strain on the corrections system and preventing those currently incarcerated from receiving programming and treatment that will allow them to successfully reenter society once their time has been served. I appreciate the stellar efforts of our Justice and Personnel cabinets as they have worked together to develop this innovative solution. Today’s announcement will allow us to move forward quickly in opening the facility and hiring the local workforce necessary to staff it. This is a great day for Kentucky and for Floyd, Knott and surrounding counties.”
The DOC will hire up to 200 new state employees to work in the prison.
Bevin also says that the new center will have treatment opportunities for those in prison on drug charges.
