‘Let’s regain control of prison facility’

Regaining control of the CNMI prison system is the driving force behind the government’s creation of a new Department of Corrections, the administration said.

In signing the bill creating the new department Friday, Gov. Juan N. Babauta said the CNMI “lost significant authority” to the U.S. Department of Justice under the provisions of a 1999 Consent Decree, which, among others, required the Commonwealth to develop a plan to address operating the detention and prison facilities as a system, to correct deficiencies, and to address future population growth.

The order, issued by U.S. District Court judge Alex Munson, also required the CNMI to report to the DOJ on its implementation of those reforms in the prison system.

“The CNMI lost significant authority to the U.S. DOJ under provisions of the 1999 consent decree. Additionally, we faced criticism for not implementing the required changes and reporting to the U.S. DOJ,” said Babauta.

But he said that the government has addressed federal concerns, resulting in the ongoing construction of a new adult prison in Susupe.

He said issues concerning the Immigration Detention, Rota Detention, and Tinian Detention have also been looked at.

Further, he said that government has also completed and opened a new juvenile detention facility in Kagman.

“My goal is to continue our progress and regain control of all our prison/detention facilities from oversight by the U.S. government,” said Babauta.

The new law, as introduced by former Public Safety deputy commissioner Rep. Clyde Norita through House Bill 14-152, provides that all responsibilities for correctional and detention functions from the Department of Public Safety’s Division of Corrections and the Immigration’s Office of Detention shall be transferred to the new department.

The law says that a Corrections Department is necessary to promote a more efficient administration within the prison and detention system.

It mandates the department, in particular, to establish, maintain, operate, and control the adult correctional facility “for the protection of the general public and crime victims, and for the care, custody, and discipline of persons convicted of offenses against the Commonwealth.”

It is mandated to set up and administer funded correctional programs including rehabilitative, educational, and vocational programs; institutional alcohol and substance-abuse treatment programs; sex-offender counseling or treatment; repeat-offender prevention; and other remedial programs.

In relation, Babauta has formed a transition committee and appointed special assistant for administration Tom Tebuteb to handle the transition for a year.

Babauta would name a new secretary for the newly created department in two to three weeks.

Meantime, authorities said that the new adult prison facility, which opens in September next year, has a maximum capacity of 586 prison cells. The current inmate population is at 151.

Projected costs for staff, operation, utilities and maintenance of the new prison will dramatically increase, the administration said.

Earlier estimates showed that it would require some $8 million to run the new facility but the corrections division is reportedly operating on a tight budget of just $2.6 million.

Current DOC staffing is 63. An additional 60 to 80 staff members would be required upon the opening of the facility.