State Cancels Pact With Inmate Transport Firm : Prisons: State decides it is too difficult to monitor company accused of mistreating inmates.

State prison officials, deciding inmate safety is more important than cutting costs, moved Tuesday to cancel a contract with a private extradition company accused of mistreating prisoners during cross-country trips.

Director of Corrections James Rowland told a legislative committee that he is canceling the Tennessee-based Extradition Corp. of America’s exclusive contract with the state effective March 1 because it is too difficult to monitor the company’s performance.

He said that although the state’s decision to contract with the private company was a worthwhile effort, he has come to the conclusion that the transportation of prisoners is a governmental responsibility that should not be turned over to private enterprise.

“While we should always try to save money,” he told the Joint Committee on Prison Construction and Operations, “there are some areas (where) we should not jeopardize the safety . . . of people who are losing their freedom.”

During a committee hearing last month, the company was repeatedly criticized by former inmates, their attorneys and several Los Angeles officials for permitting prisoners to be mistreated. But Rowland carefully avoided joining the criticism.

“In no way are we casting aspersions on the provider,” he said.

The state has used the company to transport about 30% of the inmates or parole violators who were out of state for one reason or another and had to be returned. The state also pays the cost of transporting fugitives from local law enforcement agencies and persons in other state or federal institutions who face trial in California.

Robert Rath, the company’s general manager, reacted angrily to the decision to cancel the contract, saying the state had not taken into consideration the costs and the effect it could have on the traveling public.

By voiding the contract, he said the state will have to make greater use of public airlines to transport prisoners back to California.

“This decision is a step backwards,” he said. “Visualize if you will, a plane with . . . a desperate prisoner on board.”

State officials have conceded that they saved about $1.1 million a year by using the private firm, which relied on ground transportation, rather than their own personnel, who often used airlines. In the past year, the state had paid the company $2.5 million.

Rath acknowledged that California has been the company’s biggest customer and the loss of its business will have a substantial impact on his firm. He said state officials had been influenced by the accusations of mistreatment, mostly involving incidents that occurred before the present management took over.

Several legislators called for the cancellation of the contract last month when a woman told of being raped by company drivers while she was being transported in 1986 from California to Missouri to face bad-check charges. At that time, the company had a contract to transport prisoners with the state of Missouri.

Los Angeles officials complained at the same hearing that it had sometimes taken as long as a month for prisoners to reach their destinations. During the long trip, they said the prisoners were often given inadequate food, no changes of clothing and little chance to bathe.

Rath said the company has since invested millions of dollars in improving its operation to meet state standards and has dramatically reduced the number of days it takes to transport prisoners.

Tipton Kindel, the Corrections Department’s assistant director in charge of the office of communications, said the agency will use its own personnel to transport all state prisoners. For long trips, he said the department will continue to use airlines.

For airline travel, he said the department uses concealed restraints that force prisoners to walk stiffed-legged but are not readily apparent to their fellow travelers.