TAFT, Calif. — The Federal Bureau of Prisons has confirmed that the decision to close the Taft Prison at the end of January was because funds did not exist for an estimated $100 million worth of repairs.
BOP officials confirmed with 23ABC that on Tuesday, they notified MTC Corporation that the Taft Correctional Institution, which is a government-owned, contractor operated facility, would be deactivated on January 31.
The decision comes after 10 to 15 years of infrastructure problems at the jail that included geological and seismic concerns, according to BOP's statement. An assessment of the building concluded that repairs would end up costing an estimated $100 million in which BOP said there were not enough funds for.
The BOP also stated that, as of now, they do not have plans in place for what will be done to the property following the closure.
Below is the full statement from the Federal Bureau of Prisons:
On October 1, 2019, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) notified MTC Corporation that the Taft Correctional Institution (CI), a government-owned, contractor operated facility, would be deactivated. In the last 10 to 15 years, Taft CI has had an increasing number of infrastructure problems, and repairs have been made where possible. An assessment by an independent architectural and engineering firm identified geological and seismic concerns, among others. Repairs were estimated in excess of $100 million and funding does not exist to make those needed repairs. The BOP will cancel the active solicitation for a contractor to operate the Taft institution and camp. The current contract expires January 31, 2020. The BOP has not yet made a final decision regarding what will be done with the property.
