GEO Group to close Michigan’s private Baldwin prison

The GEO Group’s North Lake Correctional Facility pink-slipped its workers this week after the state of California decided not to renew a contract to house inmates there.

The Baldwin facility, Michigan’s only private prison, originally operated as a maximum security youth prison but sat dormant for six years before reopening in May with a plan to house more than 2,500 California inmates.

The Ludington Daily News reports:

California’s changing plans for its inmates will cost about 144 jobs in Lake County as The GEO Group prepares to transport the 270 Californian prisoners who are currently there back west.

[Paul Griffith, executive director of Michigan Works!] said about 161 people are currently working at GEO’s Lake County prison, which is named the North Lake Correctional Facility and is located near Baldwin in Webber Township.

“They will be keeping 17 key positions on understanding they want to keep a turnkey operation when they serve a new customer,” he said.

That leaves 144 employees who will be laid off Oct. 3.

California Governor Jerry Brown has said that he wants to move out-of-state prisoners back to California and house them in empty units there.