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CCA says Mother Jones reporter wasn’t ‘transparent’ about work

Correctional officer at a Louisiana facility never made it clear that he was a reporter

By C1 Staff

JACKSON — In a press release, the Corrections Corporation of America said that the reporter who recently resigned from working as a correctional officer at a Louisiana facility never made it clear that he was a reporter.

“Shane Bauer was hired as a correctional officer at Winn Correctional Facility in December 2014,” says the statement. “He did not indicate that he was a reporter for Mother Jones and, to our knowledge, he was never transparent about his occupation with facility leadership.”

The statement continues to say that Bauer never made any request of CCA about information regarding the company or the prison.

CCA said they hoped that Bauer would give them and their government partner an opportunity to be responsive.

Bauer resigned shortly after the arrest of James West, who was found with a drone outside the facility.

Here is the statement in full:

Shane Bauer was hired as a correctional officer at Winn Correctional Facility in December 2014. He did not indicate that he was a reporter for Mother Jones and, to our knowledge, he was never transparent about his occupation with facility leadership. Further, at no point prior to his taking this position did Mr. Bauer ever make a request of CCA seeking any information about our company. This raises serious questions about his journalistic standards. If Mr. Bauer intends to publish a story, it is our hope that he will provide CCA and our government partner with the opportunity to be responsive and ensure that his reporting does not jeopardize the safety and security of the facility, maintains the confidentiality of inmates and staff, and avoids altogether the inclusion of false information.

Bauer, who has written for the publication Mother Jones, resigned voluntarily on Tuesday after not reporting to work for two days. This follows the arrest of James West, another Mother Jones employee, for trespassing on facility grounds over the weekend. Because the safety of inmates, employees and the surrounding community is our top priority, trespassing is a security threat that we take very seriously. Mr. West was in possession of a drone, which is an issue correctional facilities are particularly concerned about because they could be used to transport contraband or provide detailed imagery in a way that could create a security risk.

CCA is cooperating fully with investigations by the Louisiana Department of Corrections and law enforcement authorities.

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