Leavenworth Detention Center

The Leavenworth Detention Center was a privately run maximum-security federal prison located in Leavenworth, Kansas. The facility was owned and operated by CoreCivic formerly named Corrections Corporation of America under contract with the United States Marshals Service.[1]

When originally constructed as a 460-bed private prison, it was the first correctional facility under direct contract with a U.S. federal agency.[2] In May 2008 the facility underwent its fourth expansion to increase capacity to 1,126 inmates.[3] It held both male and female prisoners.[4]

In January 2021, President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order which prevented federal agencies from renewing contracts with privately run prisons.[5] In September of 2021, the ACLU of Kansas coordinated a letter to the White House and Leavenworth County Commission signed by ACLU affiliates and federal public defender offices in four states to close the Core Civic Detention Facility in Leavenworth, amidst reports of horrendous living conditions and deadly violence. [6], and publicly pushed for the facility's closure.[7] CoreCivic campaigned heavily for the facility to remain open, but the facility's contract was allowed to expire on schedule, without renewal. [8] As of August 2022, the facility is listed as inactive.[9]