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Prison Inmates Relocated in Fort Madison

The Iowa Department of Corrections relocated 172 inmates from one portion of the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison to another unit.

The inmates who were relocated are considered "minimum security."  Some are even allowed to leave the prison to do tasks such as mowing grass or trimming trees in Keokuk and Fort Madison.

They moved about 500 yards, from the John Bennett facility to the now-vacant Clinical Care Unit.  The Tuesday morning transfer took about four hours to complete.

Prison Spokeswoman Rebecca Bowker says the inmates were moved because the John Bennett facility is in need of repairs.  She said it has yet to be decided how to address the repairs since the inmates staying there are gone.

Their new home cost more than $20-million to build in 2002.

The Clinical Care Unit could house 200 maximum security inmates with mental illnesses.  But it was closed in 2013 when it was decided to transfer the inmates residing there to other facilities in Iowa.

This was not the transfer many were expecting.

The Iowa Department of Corrections had planned to move the 500+ maximum security inmates to the new prison early this year, but problems with the ventilation and geothermal have prevented that from happening.

Jason Parrott is a former reporter at Tri States Public Radio.