Re: “U.S. officials consider Colorado prisons for Gitmo detainees,” Oct. 3 news story.
Guard towers loom over the administrative maximum security facility, the highest security area at the federal prison in Florence known as Supermax. (Chris McLean, Pueblo Chieftain)
Both of Colorado’s U.S. senators and at least one representative agree that Gitmo detainees should not come to a Colorado prison, presumably because the prisoners might escape and ravage the state.
I note from the article that Colorado has a vacant prison, for which the state paid $208 million, and for which it continues to have payments of $20 million every year, just to keep it closed. The federal government currently pays over $1 million each year for each prisoner in Gitmo. If Colorado took these prisoners, not only would the state make money instead of spending it on a vacant prison, it would also have the hundreds of jobs that are required to run a secure prison, a prison that now stands empty.
Richard E. Carpenter, Johnstown
This letter was published in the Oct. 7 edition.
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