Gov. Mike Braun acknowledged that there is “room for improvement” at Miami Correctional Facility, where the state is housing hundreds of detainees as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
“When you hear reports like that, you got to get to the bottom of it,” Braun said July 21, referring to a recent IndyStar report that revealed massive medical care backlogs and severe staffing shortages that may have contributed to the deaths of two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees. The investigation also found that nursing staff reported significantly higher backlog numbers than what their employer, Centurion Health, ultimately reported to the state.
The governor said that problems with medical care and understaffing at the prison needed “to come to light,” but he provided few details about what actions, if any, his administration has taken or plans to take. Neither his office nor the Indiana Department of Correction have answered written questions from IndyStar about whether officials plan to investigate discrepancies in Centurion’s backlog data. None of the agencies involved, including ICE, have answered questions about the contractor’s medical staffing shortages at the facility or the circumstances around the detainees’ deaths.
When asked about Centurion, a Virginia-based for-profit prison health care provider, Braun said, “There should always be a better job at doing something when you’re not reaching the mark.” He did not say if he thinks there should be an inquiry into the company, which has received contracts worth a little over $1 billion from the state and has faced allegations of substandard medical care elsewhere in the country.
Braun did say the state did a “deep dive” into issues at the prison, but it’s unclear what, specifically, officials looked into or what they found. His office did not respond to follow-up questions about the “deep dive.” Braun also said he believes the problems at the prison have been addressed, although he provided no details.
“I think we’ve figured out how we can do it better,” Braun said. “And this again is going to enable us to do something where we might not have been able to do it if resources were needed. So it’s one of the things we’ll look at in terms of what we do in general.”
Braun’s comments were made during an impromptu press conference following an unrelated tour of a childcare facility in Indianapolis.
After IndyStar’s investigation was published July 20, Democratic lawmakers called for an independent investigation into what happened at the facility and greater oversight over Centurion. Some have called for an end to ICE detention at the facility. Others said the state must end its business with Centurion and seek other providers.
“It’s obvious that that contract has failed,” said Rep. Ed Delaney, D-Indianapolis.
The state has an active bid for a new correctional health care provider. Earlier this year, IDOC extended its contract with Centurion for another year. The contract is set to expire on March 31, 2027.
Contact IndyStar reporter Kristine Phillips at (317) 444-3026 or at kphillips@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Braun acknowledges ‘room for improvement’ at prison housing ICE detainees
Reporting by Kristine Phillips, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kristine Phillips, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
