PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Delaware County Council has officially notified the private company that runs the county’s jail that it is fired.
Council President Kevin Madden said Wednesday night’s vote ends about a year of preparations at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility — the only privately managed jail in Pennsylvania.
It also starts the clock on a 180-day transition period to set up things like food service and maintenance.
“It’s not the time to spike the football,” he said. “We still have a lot of work in front of us, and that’s gonna involve all of the county resources and the many organizations around the county who are committed to what we’re trying to do here.”
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Madden said the for-profit model only benefits GEO Group, the company that was running the jail.
“They have no incentive to get people back on their feet, get them out of jail, reduce recidivism,” he said. “Their entire model is predicated on keeping jails full — that flies right in the face of what the interests of the county [are].”
There are several goals council feels the county can reach by taking over the jail.
“Reduce recidivism, reduce our incarcerated population, which not only makes for a healthier society, it makes for less tax dollars going toward incarceration that we can spend elsewhere,” Madden explained.
Based on their estimates, at the current population level, the county will save between $5 million to $10 million by terminating the agreement with GEO.