Private prison firm to fight staffing audit result

AP — Corrections Corp. of America is pushing to get a forensic audit declared inconclusive after the
auditors found the private prison company understaffed an Idaho prison by more than 26,000 hours.

The Idaho Department of Correction hired KPMG to conduct the audit last year after an investigation by The Associated Press showed CCA sometimes claimed its guards worked as much as 48 hours straight in order to fulfill staffing requirements.

CCA spokesman Steve Owen says the audit is rife with errors and overestimates the staffing shortfalls by more than a third. Owen says the company has hired an attorney to deal with KPMG directly in hopes of reaching an agreement that the report was inconclusive.

Still, CCA and the Idaho Board of Correction have announced that the prison company will pay the state $1 million to settle the understaffing issue.

The report could impact the Tennessee-based company’s other government relationships. Idaho corrections officials say prison leaders in several states and the U.S. Department of Justice have asked for copies of the audit. CCA is one of the largest private prison companies in the world, reporting $1.7 billion in revenue in 2012.

Owen contends the report includes several flaws, and that auditors failed to count guard posts that were filled by “highly qualified, experienced and trained personnel” because they had job titles other than correctional officer. continue reading...