March 23, 2021
By News Director Jared Atha
The Great Plains Correctional Facility in Hinton is shutting down according to the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development.
The federally contracted prison employs 231 people in the Hinton area, all of whom will lose their jobs.
Documents say the Bureau of Prisons decided to close the facility permanently on May 31st. The company that operates the facility says workers were told about the impending closer on Friday.
According to a U.S. Board of Prisons spokesperson, The GEO Group, a Florida-based company, operates the facility under contract with the U.S. Board of Prisons. About 1,500 inmates housed there will be transferred to other federal facilities after the closure.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order targeting private prisons six days after his inauguration.
The order directed the U.S. Department of Justice to not renew contracts with private companies to operate criminal detention facilities. The BOP contract with the GEO Group expires at the end of May.
Jason Garner, the president of the Hinton Economic Development Authority, said the authority will lose about 90% of its revenue when the prison closes.
