The GEO-owned prison has been closed since 2011.
LAKE CO. -- The North Lake Correctional facility in Baldwin may be able to re-open thanks to a bill signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder Wednesday.
The bill, which was passed in December, says that the current owner, GEO, or any company operating the 1,800-bed facility can bid on contracts with the Michigan Department of Corrections if the contract will result in savings of 10-percent or more to the state.
The law will allow the DOC to house adults in the Baldwin prison and will require that the department show 10-percent annual savings in having a private contractor operate the facility over housing the inmates in a state-owned and operated facility.
The law also requires that the private company operating the facility at least interview any state corrections officers who might be displaced by moving the inmates to the private prison.
The facility has been closed since 2011.
