La Tuna federal prison closure leaves questions about inmate transfers, employee futures
ANTHONY, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — New details are emerging about the planned closure of the La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution, as questions remain about where inmates will be transferred and what the decision means for the prison’s workforce.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) announced earlier this month that La Tuna is one of six federal prison facilities slated to close as part of a nationwide restructuring effort.
According to the agency, the closures are intended to address decades of deferred maintenance, aging infrastructure, and chronic staffing shortages across the federal prison system.
As of Friday, the Bureau of Prisons has not announced a closure date for La Tuna.
On July 1, KFOX14 asked the Bureau of Prisons where inmates housed at La Tuna would be relocated.
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The agency said inmates will be transferred to other federal correctional facilities but has not identified which institutions will receive them or when those transfers will begin.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the union representing Bureau of Prisons employees, estimates approximately 160 to 170 employees work at La Tuna.
Julian Patrick, president of AFGE Local 2516, said the union estimates that 90% to 95% of employees could be displaced by the closure, describing correctional work as “a specialty position” that cannot easily be replaced by other federal jobs in the region.
Patrick said in an interview with KFOX14 that many employees may have to relocate to continue working for the Bureau of Prisons because correctional officer and prison support positions require specialized training and are not easily replaced by other federal jobs in the area.
He also said employees who choose to retire instead of relocating could face lengthy delays before receiving retirement benefits, claiming some federal retirees have waited nine to 10 months for retirement payments to begin.
“Any federal employees who do retire, even regular retirement, have been waiting on average nine to 10 months to actually get paid from their retirement,” Patrick said.
Patrick said the closure could also affect employees at other federal prisons if La Tuna’s inmate population is redistributed to facilities that are already operating with staffing shortages or higher inmate populations.
“The prisoners will go to other prisons that are already overpopulated, making the pressure, the workplace concerns, the safety element, a concern for staff already in these places,” Patrick said.
He said the union is concerned that additional inmates could increase workloads and create new safety challenges for staff at receiving institutions.
Patrick adds the union has requested additional information from the Bureau of Prisons about the funding analysis and decision-making process behind the closure but says it has not received the level of transparency it requested.
The Bureau of Prisons has not publicly released a timeline for inmate transfers or the official closure of the La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution.
La Tuna federal prison closure leaves questions about inmate transfers and employee futures.
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