When the state of North Carolina builds a new prison, you might wonder how state officials select a location. Is there some complex formula based on the geographic distribution of existing prisons, the cost of transporting prisoners and/or their supplies, community demand, or other factors?
No. The News & Observer outlined the process in a weekend feature story on Sen. R.C. Soles:
More recently, [Senate President Pro Tem Marc] Basnight helped Soles land a new state prison for
Tabor City. The prison was planned for Tabor City, but Soles discovered
that Sen. Tony Rand of Fayetteville was suggesting Bladen County as an
alternative.The location was decided in a conference room next
to Soles’ office, where Senate Democrats meet privately. Soles was on
one side of the table, and Rand was on the other. Basnight refereed
from the head chair.“It became a screaming match between me and Senator Rand about where it was going to go,” Soles said.
Rand, the Senate’s Democratic leader, doesn’t remember a dramatic showdown.
“It
wasn’t such a big deal for me,” Rand said. “It must have been for him.
I would have been delighted to put it in Bladen County. I assure you
that’s true.”Basnight decided in Soles’ favor and called one of
the governor’s top administrators with the Senate’s recommendation for
the new prison’s location.
