Naval Consolidated Brig, Miramar
Encyclopedia
Naval Consolidated Brig, Miramar is a military prison
operated by the U.S. Navy at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
in Miramar
, San Diego, California
, located just under 10 miles (16.1 km) north of Downtown San Diego. Naval Consolidated Brig, Miramar is one of two Navy consolidated brigs and also serves as the Pacific area regional confinement facility for the United States Department of Defense
. The 208000 square feet (19,323.8 m²) facility has a total capacity to house up to 400 male and/or female prisoners and is staffed with 31 civilian and 173 military personnel
The facility is in Building 7684, located across from the base golf course near the west gate. The brig is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the MCAS Miramar East Gate Entrance.
The facility houses some Tier II male prisoners of the United States Navy
(who serve sentences of up to 10 years) and female prisoners from all areas of the United States Department of Defense. NAVCONBRIG Miramar Executive Officer CDR Kris Winter said that before NAVCONBRIG Miramar was designed as the place for all female prisoners, it was difficult for the U.S. military to have "successful female-specific rehabilitation programs" since there were not enough women in any one location. The consolidation of all women to NAVCONBRIG Miramar was intended to provide a female-oriented corrections program.
In March 1996, the United States Department of Justice
entered into an agreement with the U.S. Navy and a private jail firm and began to use a section of the brig for illegal immigrants who had been deported for criminal convictions, mostly drug crimes, and had been re-arrested for re-entering the United States. The U.S. military allocated cell space to the U.S. Marshals Service so that agency could operate a civilian facility, the Miramar Federal Detention Facility, within the brig. The U.S. Department of Justice had begun to target illegal immigrants who had criminal records. As a result, jails in the San Diego area became overcrowded. Metropolitan Correctional Center, San Diego
had been overcrowded for a long period of time leading up to 1996.
Within two weeks of the move, on March 29 of that year, prisoners rioted, setting fires inside their housing units. The prisoners were upset over a lack of commissary privileges, and a perceived low quality of television service, so they obscured a surveillance camera with a blanket and set fire to mattresses. The fire inflicted $500,000 worth of property damage. Of 174 prisoners involved, 12 were hospitalized. $1.5 million was spent to care for the injured prisoners. 10 Mexican citizens and one Costa Rican citizen received charges of damaging federal government property and conspiracy. The civilian prisoners were transferred to civilian facilities. During that year the Secretary of the United States Navy said that Miramar will never again be used to house illegal immigrants, the civilian population sent to Miramar. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a member of the United States House of Representatives
who had opposed the housing of illegal immigrants in the facility, said that the move was a "victory for San Diegans" because putting illegal immigrants in the brig placed national security in danger. Illegal immigrants who would have been sent to Miramar instead were sent to jails in Imperial County, California
, Kern County, California
, and Arizona
. As a result, the parties that handled the transportation received millions of dollars in transportation costs.
In 2003, NCBM became the only DOD prison to accept women.
As of 2010, the NCBM is adding an additional 98000 square foot to the facility to accommodate an additional 200 prisoners before February 2011.
Military prison
A military prison is a prison operated by the military. Military prisons are used variously to house prisoners of war, enemy combatants, those whose freedom is deemed a national security risk by the military or national authorities, and members of the military found guilty of a serious crime...
operated by the U.S. Navy at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar , formerly Naval Air Station Miramar is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force...
in Miramar
Miramar, San Diego, California
Miramar is a neighborhood in the northern part of the city of San Diego, California, USA. It includes residential areas and commercial and light industrial districts....
, San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, located just under 10 miles (16.1 km) north of Downtown San Diego. Naval Consolidated Brig, Miramar is one of two Navy consolidated brigs and also serves as the Pacific area regional confinement facility for the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
. The 208000 square feet (19,323.8 m²) facility has a total capacity to house up to 400 male and/or female prisoners and is staffed with 31 civilian and 173 military personnel
The facility is in Building 7684, located across from the base golf course near the west gate. The brig is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the MCAS Miramar East Gate Entrance.
The facility houses some Tier II male prisoners of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
(who serve sentences of up to 10 years) and female prisoners from all areas of the United States Department of Defense. NAVCONBRIG Miramar Executive Officer CDR Kris Winter said that before NAVCONBRIG Miramar was designed as the place for all female prisoners, it was difficult for the U.S. military to have "successful female-specific rehabilitation programs" since there were not enough women in any one location. The consolidation of all women to NAVCONBRIG Miramar was intended to provide a female-oriented corrections program.
History
Naval Consolidated Brig, Miramar was built in 1989 at a cost of nearly $17 million, was commissioned on July 19, 1989 and accepted its first prisoners on October 31, 1989.In March 1996, the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
entered into an agreement with the U.S. Navy and a private jail firm and began to use a section of the brig for illegal immigrants who had been deported for criminal convictions, mostly drug crimes, and had been re-arrested for re-entering the United States. The U.S. military allocated cell space to the U.S. Marshals Service so that agency could operate a civilian facility, the Miramar Federal Detention Facility, within the brig. The U.S. Department of Justice had begun to target illegal immigrants who had criminal records. As a result, jails in the San Diego area became overcrowded. Metropolitan Correctional Center, San Diego
Metropolitan Correctional Center, San Diego
The Metropolitan Correctional Center, San Diego is a Federal Bureau of Prisons remand center in downtown San Diego located at 808 Union St. adjacent to the Federal courthouse, one block east of Pantoja Park and two blocks west of the Westfield Horton Plaza...
had been overcrowded for a long period of time leading up to 1996.
Within two weeks of the move, on March 29 of that year, prisoners rioted, setting fires inside their housing units. The prisoners were upset over a lack of commissary privileges, and a perceived low quality of television service, so they obscured a surveillance camera with a blanket and set fire to mattresses. The fire inflicted $500,000 worth of property damage. Of 174 prisoners involved, 12 were hospitalized. $1.5 million was spent to care for the injured prisoners. 10 Mexican citizens and one Costa Rican citizen received charges of damaging federal government property and conspiracy. The civilian prisoners were transferred to civilian facilities. During that year the Secretary of the United States Navy said that Miramar will never again be used to house illegal immigrants, the civilian population sent to Miramar. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
who had opposed the housing of illegal immigrants in the facility, said that the move was a "victory for San Diegans" because putting illegal immigrants in the brig placed national security in danger. Illegal immigrants who would have been sent to Miramar instead were sent to jails in Imperial County, California
Imperial County, California
Imperial County is a county located in the Imperial Valley, in the far southeast of the U.S. state of California, bordering both Arizona and Mexico. It is part of the El Centro Metropolitan Area, which encompasses all of Imperial County. The population as of 2000 was 142,361. The county seat is the...
, Kern County, California
Kern County, California
Spreading across the southern end of the California Central Valley, Kern County is the fifth-largest county by population in California. Its economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction, and there is a strong aviation and space presence. Politically, it has generally...
, and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. As a result, the parties that handled the transportation received millions of dollars in transportation costs.
In 2003, NCBM became the only DOD prison to accept women.
As of 2010, the NCBM is adding an additional 98000 square foot to the facility to accommodate an additional 200 prisoners before February 2011.
Mission statement
To ensure administration, security, good order, discipline, and safety of prisoners and detained personnel from all military services; to retrain and restore maximum number of personnel to honorable service; to prepare remaining prisoners for return to civilian life as productive citizens.Notable inmates
- Lynndie EnglandLynndie EnglandLynndie Rana England is a former United States Army reservist who served in the 372nd Military Police Company. She was one of eleven military personnel convicted in 2005 by Army courts-martial in connection with the torture and prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad during the occupation...
, a perpetrator of the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuseAbu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuseBeginning in 2004, human rights violations in the form of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture, rape, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq came to public attention... - Sabrina Harman, a perpetrator of the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
- Robin LongRobin LongRobin Long is one of several U.S. Army deserters who sought asylum in Canada because of his opposition to the Iraq war and became the first of those to be deported to the United States after being rejected for refugee status...
, the first member of the U.S. military to be deported from Canada (since the Vietnam war era) after having sought refuge there.