More than a New Year, a New Decade
Even though we’re now a quarter into 2010, many of us are still renewed and reinvigorated by the New Year, as it represents an opportunity for a fresh start. But taking an even greater retrospective is timely for us as a company. After all, 2010 marks not only a new year, but also a new decade into the 21st century.
In 2000, our company was in a period of major transition, as we completed the merger of Prison Realty Trust and affiliated operating companies with CCA. We also restructured our Board of Directors and developed a new management team, with former president and CEO John Ferguson at the helm.
That year, CCA also established its first-ever Business Development department, driven to maximize opportunities and maintain partnerships. Our Legal and Finance teams were also revamped as we harmonized many moving pieces to ensure we continued providing the cost savings and innovation of business with the ongoing oversight and strong accountability of government.
Ten years ago, we were in a recession. The dot-com bubble had burst and consumer confidence was diminished. Today, the housing market has declined, unemployment has climbed and spending is down. In 2000, we gained new leadership, and today, we have a new CEO and president, chief development officer and chief human resources officer.
Our successes since then have been great. At the end of 2000, we housed just over 53,000 inmates; today, we house nearly 80,000 men and women in our facilities, with nearly 87,000 available beds. At that time, 70 percent of our facilities were accredited by the American Correctional Association; now approximately 90 percent of our prisons, jails and detention centers have achieved this hard-earned national stamp of ACA approval.
In 2009, we were proud to announce new facility expansions at our Coffee Correctional Facility and Wheeler Correctional Facility in Georgia that will bring 300 new CCA employees on board and increase our work force in the state to 1,500. We also opened our North Georgia Detention Center and unveiled our new 300-bed therapeutic community housing unit at Idaho Correctional Center. We began construction on our upcoming Nevada Southern Detention Center, which will result in 230 new CCA jobs this year.
Having a clear plan developed and supported by a strong management team has gotten us through past and present challenges. We’ve been neither reactionary nor short-sighted in plotting a course that has kept CCA relevant, responsive and ready for our role in the nation’s corrections system.
I feel good about our future and our prospects this year and beyond. I especially appreciate your flexibility over the past year. Together, we will remain vigilant, creative, strong and successful.
Sound Out
Deborah Tribble at Wheeler Correctional Facility:
As the year takes off, alot of the staff here at WCF have alot of unanswered questions. Would you check into a cost of living increase and pay raise this year. As we did not get a raise of any kind last year. We are told there is not enough money for raises here in Georgia, but we see money being spent everyday. With all the construction, new metal detectors, and many new vehicles. Dont get me wrong I am very grateful to have a job as times are hard in our community. Last year we even had to give back 20 hours of our PTO time that I thought we had earned. Several years ago they took our sick time away, now we are told how and when to take our PTO time. Thank you for listening.
James Carey at DBCF:
We here at Diamonback understand all too well the ups and the downs of our industry, with that being said I hope to mantain my role in the growing success of CCA and look forward to whatever future challenges that holds for me.