A new prison is scheduled to open Monday in Buckeye. This building is part of the Rast Unit at the Lewis Prison Complex.
The Department of Corrections is unlocking the gates to the $50 million structure to move prisoners.
“We’ll be moving max custody inmates into that facility and that will create space elsewhere in our system for some of the more predatory inmate that require special management," said Doug Nick with the DOC. "So it is strictly a maximum-security portion of this prison.”
The prison can hold up to 500 inmates. This facility has 20 percent of the max custody beds in the state prison system. It also has new technology to help corrections officers monitor inmates. There are more cameras and sliding doors with higher visibility.
“Part of the reason that we decided that this unit was going to be necessary to our operation because we were looking at population statistics that indicated an increase and that hasn’t changed," Nick said. "We are still looking at that there is growth in the system and we need to manage those beds.”
Just in the past year, Arizona’s inmate population has increased by 2,000. The prison will start taking prisoners in early December.
