Strange

Montana Town Wants Guantanamo Inmates for Empty Prison

by cyn.khoo | May 27, 2009 at 12:39 pm

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A town in Montana has placed a bid to house Guantanamo detainees in its own 494-bed prison.

City councillors in the 3,400-strong community of Hardin voted unanimously April 22 on a resolution to push for detainees to be housed in their empty Two Rivers Detention Facility.

Two Rivers was originally built to revitalize the economy in Hardin, which is known as the poorest county in Montana, and one of the poorest in the United States.

With unemployment hovering around 10 per cent, the town was relying heavily on the promise held out by a prison that would not only bring prisoners, but potential business as well.

However, the prison has remained vacant since completion of its construction in 2006, despite Montana having won a lawsuit enabling the prison to take out-of-state prisoners.

Hardin has since been in a protracted fight with the state to fill its detention facility after the town was told it couldn't take out-of-state prisoners. Last June, the town sued and won its lawsuit to allow it to take in other prisoners, but it hasn't secured any takers.

The controversial proposal met with heated responses in the US, due to concerns about housing potential or suspected terrorists on home soil. Yet, even if Hardin does not receive the Guantanamo detainees, Mayor Ron Adams remains optimistic about the publicity his county is getting.

"We're getting notoriety all over the world and maybe just maybe somebody that has prisoners, that would be more not-so-unique-type prisoner but less terrorist type, will call us and say, 'Gee whiz. Sorry to hear you're empty and maybe we can fill you up.'"