NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Iowa has moved about 800 sex offenders to the prison in Newton where they will now be housed.
State officials decided to move the sex offender treatment program to the Newton prison because it is more secure than the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility it was based at before, the Des Moines Register reports.
The Newton facility uses prison cells while the Mount Pleasant facility has a dormitory-style environment.
Associate Warden Sean Crawford says having a secure facility with cells gives the program options. When an inmate has a behavioral problem or other incident, the staff can work with him at the Newton prison without having to transfer him to a more secure facility.
The Newton prison has 1,264 inmates. About 800 of that total will be sex offenders.
