District of Columbia Department of Corrections
Encyclopedia
The District of Columbia Department of Corrections (DCDC) is a correctional
agency responsible for the adult jails and other adult correctional institutions in the District of Columbia.
, Fairfax County
, Virginia
.
In 1999 the DCDC was paying the Virginia Department of Corrections
to house 69 prisoners at the Red Onion State Prison
.
. The current DC Jail opened in 1976.
The Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF), which the district established in 1992, is located adjacent to the DC Jail. The 8 story structure, located on 10.2 acres (4.1 ha) of land, consists of five multi-story buildings that appear like one large building. The CTF houses medium security male prisoners. In addition the CTF houses adult females and juveniles who have been sentenced as adults. The district began contracting operations of the CTF to the Corrections Corporation of America
after it signed a 20 year contract with the CCA in March 1997.
The department has contracts with four private and independently operated halfway houses: Efforts from Ex-Convicts, Extended House, Inc., Fairview, and Hope Village. The US District Court for DC and the Superior Court of DC place pretrial offenders and sentenced misdemeanants in halfway houses as an alternative to incarceration. The halfway houses offer a variety of educational opportunities and other programming services.
With the passage of the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997
, the Department of Corrections transferred the sentenced felon population formerly housed at the Lorton Correctional Complex to the Federal Bureau of Prisons
and discontinued operations there on December 31, 2001.
Corrections
In criminal justice, particularly in North America, correction, corrections, and correctional, are umbrella terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out by government agencies and involving the punishment, treatment, and supervision of persons who have been convicted of crimes....
agency responsible for the adult jails and other adult correctional institutions in the District of Columbia.
History
The DOC was first established as an agency in 1946, when the District Jail (built 1872) was combined with the Lorton Correctional Complex. The latter began as a workhouse for male prisoners in 1910, but later expanded to include eight prisons on 3000 acres (12.1 km²) of land in LortonLorton, Virginia
Lorton is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population is 27,709 as of the 2008 census estimate.-History:...
, Fairfax County
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
In 1999 the DCDC was paying the Virginia Department of Corrections
Virginia Department of Corrections
The Virginia Department of Corrections is the government agency responsible for operating prisons and correctional facilities for the US Commonwealth of Virginia. The agency is fully accredited by the American Correctional Association and is one of the oldest functioning correctional agencies in...
to house 69 prisoners at the Red Onion State Prison
Red Onion State Prison
Red Onion State Prison is a supermax state prison located in unincorporated Wise County, Virginia, near Pound, operated by the Virginia Department of Corrections, it houses about 800 inmates. The prison opened in August, 1998 and is an identical facility to the Wallens Ridge State Prison in Big...
.
Operations
The DOC operates the Central Detention Facility (DC Jail) with an inmate capacity of 2,164. The DC Jail houses adult males; the DC Jail includes pre-trial prisoners, convicted misdemeanants, and convicted felons who are going to be transferred to the Federal Bureau of PrisonsFederal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...
. The current DC Jail opened in 1976.
The Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF), which the district established in 1992, is located adjacent to the DC Jail. The 8 story structure, located on 10.2 acres (4.1 ha) of land, consists of five multi-story buildings that appear like one large building. The CTF houses medium security male prisoners. In addition the CTF houses adult females and juveniles who have been sentenced as adults. The district began contracting operations of the CTF to the Corrections Corporation of America
Corrections Corporation of America
Corrections Corporation of America is a company that owns and manages private prisons and detention centers and operates others on a concession basis. The company is the largest private corrections company in the United States and manages more than 60 facilities with a designed capacity of 90,000...
after it signed a 20 year contract with the CCA in March 1997.
The department has contracts with four private and independently operated halfway houses: Efforts from Ex-Convicts, Extended House, Inc., Fairview, and Hope Village. The US District Court for DC and the Superior Court of DC place pretrial offenders and sentenced misdemeanants in halfway houses as an alternative to incarceration. The halfway houses offer a variety of educational opportunities and other programming services.
With the passage of the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997
National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997
The National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997, also known as the Revitalization Act, was enacted on August 5, 1997, with provisions to reform the criminal justice system in Washington, D.C....
, the Department of Corrections transferred the sentenced felon population formerly housed at the Lorton Correctional Complex to the Federal Bureau of Prisons
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...
and discontinued operations there on December 31, 2001.
Notable inmates
Central Detention Facility- Ingmar Guandique, suspect in the murder of Chandra LevyChandra LevyChandra Ann Levy was an American intern at the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington, D.C., who disappeared in May 2001. She was presumed murdered after her skeletal remains were found in Rock Creek Park in May 2002...