This For-Profit Prison Moves Puerto Rican Inmates 1,800 Miles From Home
- Puerto Rican prisoners preparing for transfers to Mississippi
- CoreCivic action could undermine mission to reduce recidivism
A correctional officer handcuffs Giovannie Marrero after an interview in a conference room of the Bayamon 705 Prison.
Photographer: Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Giovannie Marrero, doing 20 years for domestic assault and gun violations, was one of the first to sign up. Any day now, CoreCivic Inc. will move him to a prison in Mississippi from a facility closer to his home in Puerto Rico.
The last time authorities transferred Puerto Rican inmates to the mainland, in 2012, they clashed with local prisoners and were hastily sent back. This time, Marrero said he’s been promised English lessons and new job skills.