Waterbury, VT – The Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) today announced the signing of a contract with CoreCivic to house individuals in DOC custody at Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility (TCCF) in Tutwiler, Mississippi. CoreCivic was the lone bidder for the contract. Incarcerated individuals in Vermont custody have been held at the facility since 2018, with 126 individuals currently residing at TCCF.
The contract provides adult male incarcerated individuals with housing, treatment, and inmate rights in accordance with American Correctional Association (ACA) standards. The agreement lays out a two-year term with two additional one-year extensions. The contract sets a maximum allowable cost of $21,463,095 for up to 300 beds if needed, 150 of which may be used for incarcerated individuals on Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT). Barring any major operational incident resulting in a facility closure, the Department does not plan to significantly increase the number of incarcerated Vermonters at TCCF and expects the out-of-state census to remain around 125.
“The difficult reality is that our correctional facilities do not have adequate space to house an additional 126 individuals without compromising the safety and well-being of our incarcerated population,” said Nicholas J. Deml, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Corrections. “While the State would prefer to house all incarcerated individuals in Vermont, CoreCivic has adapted their system to meet the Vermont standard of care and custody for our out-of-state population; we look forward to our continued partnership.”
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