
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, July 24, 1990                   TAG: 9007240344
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: BLAND                                LENGTH: Short

BLAND COUNTY MAY GET PRIVATELY OWNED PRISON

A Tennessee-based builder of private prisons approached Bland County on Monday about locating a 300-bed medium-security facility for non-violent offenders in the county.

Such a facility would take state or federal prisoners from Virginia, the District of Columbia and perhaps other states where overcrowding is a problem. The localities would pay the private firm to house the prisoners for a daily charge.

Jail Builders Inc. would offer to pay the county $100,000 a year and would provide a cruiser each year for the county sheriff's office once the prison was operating. It would require about 60 employees from the area, and a site of perhaps 100 acres to allow for expansion.

There are no private prisons in Virginia, although some state legislators have suggested that using them could save the state money.

- Southwest bureau

by CNB