TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas corrections officials say most cells in a new state prison they’re planning would house two inmates when the facility opens.
Corrections Secretary Joe Norwood told a legislative committee Wednesday that cells in the new Lansing prison would be large enough to meet national standards for double bunking, including in maximum-security inmates.
The department plans to build a new prison in Lansing to replacing the state’s oldest and largest correctional facility there. The project could cost up to $155 million; three companies submitted proposals last week, and the department hopes to have a final contract in November.
Some legislators have questioned whether additional double-bunking of inmates has led to unrest at state prisons in recent months. But Norwood told legislators that the practice is common across the nation.
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