{{Short description|Former prison in Taft, Kern County, California}} {{Use American English|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox Prison | prison_name = Taft Correctional Institution | image = Taft Correctional Institution (3601002428).jpg | location = 1500 Cadet Road <br> [[Taft, California]] | coordinates = | status = Closed | classification = Low-security (with minimum-security prison camp) | population = 2187 (360 in prison camp) | capacity = 2500<ref name="kget" /> | opened = August 20, 1997 | closed = April 30, 2020 | managed_by = [[Management and Training Corporation]] | director = }}
'''Taft Correctional Institution''' was a low-security federal prison for male inmates located in [[Taft, California|Taft]], [[Kern County, California]], owned by the [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]] (BOP) and operated by [[Management and Training Corporation]] under contract with the BOP.<ref>{{cite web|title=Taft Correctional Institution|url=https://www.bop.gov/locations/ci/taf/|website=Federal Bureau of Prisons|access-date=18 August 2016}}</ref> It also included a satellite prison camp for minimum-security male inmates.
The facility opened in 1997 as the first private prison under contract with the BOP; the contract was awarded to Wackenhut Corrections Corporation. The corporation then operated the facility under the name of The GEO Group. In August 2016, Justice Department officials announced that the BOP would be phasing out its use of contracted facilities, on the grounds that private prisons provided less safe and less effective services with no substantial cost savings. The agency expects to allow current contracts on its thirteen remaining private facilities to expire.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Zapotosky|first1=Matt|title=Justice Department says it will end use of private prisons|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/08/18/justice-department-says-it-will-end-use-of-private-prisons/|access-date=19 August 2016|work=Washington Post|date=18 Aug 2016}}</ref>
The facility was slated to close in 2019, but was extended several times into 2020.<ref name="kget">{{Cite web |title=Taft prison notifies county more than 300 employees could be laid off after April 30 |author=Joseph Luiz |work=KGET 17 |date=24 March 2020 |access-date=7 August 2020 |url=https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/taft-prison-notifies-county-more-than-300-employees-could-be-laid-off-after-april-30/ |archive-date=9 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809023648/https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/taft-prison-notifies-county-more-than-300-employees-could-be-laid-off-after-april-30/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="kget_DOJh" /> The congressman for the area at the time, [[Kevin McCarthy]], opposed the closure.<ref name="kget_DOJh">{{Cite web |title=DOJ halts prisoner removal from Taft Correctional Institution |work=KGET 17 |date=31 October 2019 |access-date=7 August 2020 |url= https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/doj-halts-prisoner-removal-from-taft-correctional-institution/}}</ref> The correctional institute closed on April 30, 2020.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rust |first=Susanne |date=May 6, 2020 |title=Kern County city gets hit with triple whammy: Lockdowns, oil slump and prison closing |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-06/kern-county-taft-coronavirus-oil-slump-prison-closing |url-status=live |access-date=October 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609153219/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-06/kern-county-taft-coronavirus-oil-slump-prison-closing |archive-date=June 9, 2022}}</ref>
== Notable inmates == {| class="wikitable sortable" !width=13%|Inmate Name !width=9%|Register Number !width=5%|Photo !width=24%|Status !width=54%|Details |- |align="center" | [[Jordan Belfort]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=McLaughlin |first=Tim |date=2007-09-26 |title='Wolf of Wall Street' seeks redemption |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-wolf-idUSN2535594820070926 |access-date=2022-10-18 |work=[[Reuters]] |language=en}}</ref> |align="center" | 56213-053 |[[File:Jordan Belfort - May 30, 2010.jpg|80px]] |Released from prison in April 2006, served 22 month sentence |American stockbroker and the subject of the 2013 film ''[[The Wolf of Wall Street (2013 film)|The Wolf of Wall Street]],'' based on Belfort's [[The Wolf of Wall Street (book)|2007 memoir of the same name]]''.'' On July 18, 2003, he was sentenced to 22 months in federal prison for [[securities fraud]] and [[money laundering]], and ordered to pay $110 million in restitution to clients he defrauded. While at Taft, he was the cellmate of [[Tommy Chong]], who Bellfort credits for having helped him write his memoirs. |- |align="center" | [[Don Blankenship]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ferran |first=Lee |last2=Khan |first2=Mariam |date=2016-05-12 |title=Coal King Reports to Low Security California Prison |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/coal-king-expected-report-prison-emergency-motion-denied/story?id=39062293 |access-date=2022-10-18 |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |language=en}}</ref> |align="center" | 12393-088 |[[File:Don Blankenship Image (cropped).jpeg|80px]] |Released from prison on May 10, 2017, served 1 year sentence |American business executive and perennial candidate. [[CEO]] of [[Massey Energy|Massey Energy Company]] from 2000 until 2010, when [[Upper Big Branch Mine disaster|an explosion at Massey's Upper Big Branch Mine]] resulted in the deaths of 29 workers. On December 3, 2015, he was convicted of conspiracy to violate mine safety and health standards. On May 12, 2016, he was sentenced to 1 year in federal prison, and forced to pay a $250,000 fine. He was released from prison on May 10, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-05-10 |title=Ex-Coal CEO Blankenship to be Released from Prison |url=https://www.ien.com/safety/news/20860989/excoal-ceo-blankenship-to-be-released-from-prison |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Industrial Equipment News |language=en-us}}</ref> |- |align="center" | [[Tommy Chong]]<ref name=":0" /> |align="center" | 07798-068 |[[File:TommyChongByPhilKonstantin.jpg|80px]] |Released from prison on July 7, 2004, served nine month sentence |Canadian-American comedian and actor. In 2003, he was arrested as part of two American investigations, [[Operation Pipe Dreams]] and [[Operation Headhunter]], which involved thousands of [[DEA]] agents. On October 8, 2003 was sentenced to nine months in federal prison and forced to pay a $20,000 fine and $103,514 in [[Forfeiture (law)|forfeiture]] for having sold [[drug paraphernalia]] through his website Nice Dreams. |- |align="center" | [[Sunny Garcia|Vincent Sennen Garcia]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-04-09 |title=Sunny Garcia's Last Days in Prison |url=https://www.surfer.com/surfing-magazine-archive/surfing-news/sunny-last-days-prison/ |access-date=2022-10-18 |website=SURFER Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> |align="center" | 95309-198 |[[File:Sunny Garcia Xcel Pro 2007 Sunset Beach.jpg|80px]] |Released from prison on April 10, 2007, served three month sentence |American surfer. In October 2006, he was convicted of [[tax fraud]], having failed to report $471,000 in winnings between 1996 and 2001. On January 12, 2007, he was sentenced to three months in federal prison, followed by seven months of house arrest. He was released from prison on April 10, 2007. |- |align="center" | [[Vic Kohring]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mauer |first=Richard |date=2009-06-14 |title=Despite his lockup, Kohring still supports private prisons |url=https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article/despite-his-lockup-kohring-still-supports-private-prisons/2009/06/14/ |access-date=2022-10-17 |work=[[Anchorage Daily News]]}}</ref> |align="center" | 15406-006 | |Released from prison on June 11, 2009, served one year sentence |American politician and former member of the [[Alaska House of Representatives]] from 1995 to 2003, and again from 2003 to his resignation in 2007. In May 2007, he was indicted in the ongoing [[Alaska political corruption probe]] for having solicited and accepted bribes from [[VECO Corporation]]. In May 2008, he was sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison on federal bribery charges. His conviction was later vacated to one year in a plea deal, and he was released from prison on June 11, 2009. |- |align="center" | [[Rudy Kurniawan]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stempel |first=Jonathan |date=2017-09-18 |title=Wine maven Kurniawan, convicted of fraud, loses bid for freedom |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/wine-kurniawan-idINL2N1LZ1QR |access-date=2022-10-17 |work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> |align="center" | 62470-112 | |Deported to [[Indonesia]] by [[Immigration and Customs Enforcement|ICE]] on April 8, 2021, finished shortened sentence |Indonesian fraudster, indicted on several counts of [[wire fraud]], [[mail fraud]] and [[wine fraud]]. Sentenced on August 7, 2014 to ten years in federal prison. He was released from prison on November 7, 2020, and handed over to the custody of [[Immigration and Customs Enforcement]]. He was formally deported to [[Indonesia]] on April 8, 2021 |- |align="center" | [[Richard Pinedo]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Marshall |date=2019-05-14 |title=California man who unwittingly helped Russian meddling released from federal custody |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/14/politics/pinedo-released-from-prison/index.html |access-date=2022-10-18 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> |align="center" | 35254-016 | |Released from custody on May 13, 2019, served six month sentence |American man from [[Santa Paula, California]], convicted on one count of [[identity fraud]] in connection with the [[Mueller special counsel investigation]]. On October 10, 2018, he was sentenced to six months in federal prison, followed by six months of home confinement. |}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{coord|35.109776|-119.385469|format=dms|display=title|type:landmark}}
{{Federal Bureau of Prisons}}
[[Category:Defunct prisons in California]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Kern County, California]] [[Category:Management and Training Corporation]] [[Category:1997 establishments in California]]