Former Governor Matt Bevin reportedly signed a lease for a private prison on his final day in office.
The 10-year, $41 million deal was signed under an emergency clause that allowed Bevin to bypass the Capital Projects and Bond Oversight Committee, according to a story in the Courier Journal. That has caused concern for many lawmakers, who didn’t find out about the arrangement until they received an email on Thursday of last week.
The Commonwealth will pay 3.75 million dollars per year for the first two years, with a five percent increase every two years for a ten year period.
On Oct. 18, Bevin held a press conference in Floyd County announcing that his administration planned to lease a vacant 656-bed facility from private prison company CoreCivic, to be operated by the Kentucky Department of Corrections.
Bevin claimed the lease would create 200 jobs and help reduce overcrowding in county jails.