rodney.richey@heraldbulletin.com

The private firm that assumed control of the New Castle Correctional Facility in 2006 — The Geo Group Inc., formerly Wackenhut — signed the agreement at the end of September 2005. The contract covered an initial term of four years, with three two-year extensions.

The 2,416-bed, medium-security facility was taken over by GEO in January 2006. For many years, the site itself had been occupied by the New Castle State Developmental Center. In its history, that facility had also been known as New Castle State Hospital and the Indiana Village for Epileptics.

The $123 million medium-security prison, which opened in 2002, was designed to house more than 1,800 inmates and employ about 750 state workers.

Florida-based GEO Group describes itself as “a world leader in the delivery of correctional, detention and residential treatment services to federal, state and local government agencies around the globe. GEO offers a turnkey approach that includes design, construction, financing and operations.”

The corporation also reportedly serves governments in Australia, South Africa, Canada and Great Britain, operating 63 correctional and residential treatment facilities in North America.

GEO changed its name from Wackenhut — a company that had been the target of some criticism for its stern procedures in operating prisons, including a scathing 2002 report on CBS’ “60 Minutes II” — in November 2003. Wackenhut reportedly still operates security guard services in many states, but is no longer connected with GEO.

(Information supplied by the Indiana Department of Correction Web site, the GEO Group Web site and the CBS News Web site, as well as other Internet sources.)

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New Castle Correctional Facility glance

By The Associated Press

DETAILS: Medium-security prison opened in 2002 in city about 45 miles east of Indianapolis

MANAGEMENT: GEO Group of Boca Raton, Fla., since 2006. Company operates more than 60 prisons across North America.