Should TDCJ be renewing contracts that might be subject to budget cuts?

A coupla stories related to private prisons caught my eye that deserve Grits readers' attention:

• Geo Group loses TDCJ contract to MTC, Texas Prison Bidness, and 
• How the recession hurts private prisons, Newsweek

The first story raises an issue that perhaps the Legislative Budget Board should consider before the Legislature meets again next year: Should TDCJ be renewing long-term private contracts when they might need to reduce private capacity because of budget cuts? In particular there are a couple of private units that have been specifically identified as possible closure targets (Dawson State Jail and a "pre-parole" unit in Mineral Wells) that both have contracts up early next year, the same time the Bridgeport facility's contract was scheduled to wrap up. Perhaps TDCJ should slow down on renewing private contracts if the Legislature may end up closing some of these units?

The second story documents a phenomenon I've discussed here in Texas: Demand for private prison beds is shrinking thanks to reduced state and local incarceration as well as waning immigration detention. The only current growth area according to Newsweek - which has certainly been true in Texas - is in specialized treatment units aimed at reducing recidivism:

Cornell runs halfway houses and youth prisons and has noticed an uptick in the demand for drug treatment, housing, or job placement programs that help prisoners reenter society. “The challenge for reentry is funding,” says James Hyman, CEO and president of Cornell Companies. “If states can’t fund programs for their star college graduates, how do they fund programs for the prisoners?”

Finally, our friends at Texas Prison Bidness also point us to a new website called Deportation Nation that's tracking the so-called "Secure Communities" program. Their site appears to be full of interesting tidibits.