New Castle Correctional Facility
| Location | 1000 Van Nuys Road New Castle, Indiana |
|---|---|
| Status | open |
| Security class | mixed |
| Capacity | 3500 |
| Opened | 2002 |
| Managed by | GEO Group |
New Castle Correctional Facility is a privately run (but state-owned) prison located in New Castle, Indiana. It opened in 2002. In September 2005, the state signed a contract with the for-profit GEO Group, Inc. of Boca Raton, Florida, to run the prison. The facility is rated as minimum- to medium-security, but also has a maximum-security psychiatric unit and annex. After the annex was opened, it became the largest prison in Indiana, and can hold over 3,500 inmates.
On Tuesday April 24, 2007, about noon, a disturbance in the prison dining hall occurred. A little after 2:00 p.m., the local New Castle police department responded en masse, as did forces from the Henry County Fire Department and Sheriff's Department. Sheriff's Deputies from adjacent Delaware County, along with elements of the Indiana State Police also responded.
Reportedly, it started with a cluster of Arizona prisoners transported there against their will consequent to a memorandum of understanding with the State of Arizona and GEO Group. They refused to wear state-issued smocks over T-shirts as a display of non-compliance during the midday meal. This is when Captain Deaton stepped in and tried to handcuff several offenders and was severely beaten by three inmates.
These prisoners were reportedly picked for being non-violent and generally getting along with the rules; it is suggested the Arizona convicts felt they were, in effect, being punished for obeying the rules, and had they been less compliant back in Arizona, they would have remained there. An earlier deal with California fell through when that state was unable to come up with enough non-violent prisoners willing to volunteer for the transfer; the Arizona convicts were transferred on a non-voluntary basis.
This was not the first time Arizona transportees had been involved in prison disturbances in other states.
Two news helicopters from regional NBC and CBS affiliates provided live images carried on MSNBC's WTHR, and Fox News. Piles of burning debris and smoke plumes were evident, reportedly mattresses, combustible furniture and garbage.
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