In the houses The almost identical Newport units are among the state's newest facilities. Built by Wackenhut and owned by the state, the units were designed with security and cost-effectiveness in mind, officials said. Guards in a Central Control room in each prison watch over an electronic control board controlling gates and doors and monitor the movements of inmates and guards by closed-circuit television. Each of the circular houses consists of seven pods. Each pod accommodates about 50 inmates.
Some pods have cells where inmates live two to a room.
Certain pods are designated lock-down pods where troublesome inmates spend much of their time in cells. Others live in open-bay pods similar to military barracks. Both the McPherson and Grimes units also have classrooms and staff offices. The two units have experienced numerous equipment breakdowns. A Wackenhut operational review provided to the state Correction Department shows that nine months after the prisons opened, the company still had no preventive maintenance program and no way to track maintenance histories of the equipment.