Ed Lightsey writes in GeorgiaTrend for March 2011,
Valdosta/Lowndes County: Taking Off
about many good developments in Lowndes County.
But among them is this:
About two years ago, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) began
looking for sites on which to build a prison, and after an 18-month
search chose Lowndes County, a decision that promises 400 to 600 new
jobs. “It’s a $150-million investment,” Lofton says. “That’s
the second largest investment in the history of the county. And of those
promised jobs, about 120 will require post secondary education; they are
nurses, physician assistants, dieticians and vocational rehab folks.”CCA is the fifth largest penal system in the country, behind Florida,
Califor-nia, Texas and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, according to
Lofton. “They have about 20,000 employees across the country,”
he says.
So why do we need them here?