CoreCivic: We commit to safety, transparency, accountability in Leavenworth | Opinion
A recent guest commentary in The Kansas City Star painted a dramatic picture of CoreCivic and our Midwest Regional Reception Center in Leavenworth. It also contained outdated claims, a lack of context and inflammatory rhetoric that do a disservice to readers trying to understand what’s actually happening at this facility.
Let’s start with the facts the author gets wrong.
The piece criticized our facility as it reached the end of its contract with the U.S. Marshals Service in 2021. It omits the fact that CoreCivic has been part of the Leavenworth community for 30 years. The challenges referenced in the commentary were concentrated in approximately 18 months near the end of a long and largely successful partnership with the Marshals Service — a period when the COVID-19 pandemic created severe staffing shortages across industries. Presenting that narrow window as the defining story of a three-decade relationship isn’t honest.
Today’s operation looks much different from that period. More than 5,400 unique applicants have submitted nearly 8,100 applications for positions at MRRC, and approximately 280 employees have already been hired. Staff receive extensive training, including specialty and reality-based drills, with many gaining additional experience at CoreCivic facilities across the country. Our assistant warden, who spent 33 years in federal corrections — including as warden of the U.S. Penitentiary-Leavenworth — has described the training, organizational structure and security procedures at MRRC as thorough, detailed and consistent with the best he’s seen in his career.
The author also alleges poor conditions and delayed medical care at other CoreCivic facilities, citing measles cases as evidence of negligence. What she fails to mention is that our country is in the midst of the largest measles outbreak in recent history. Framing a national public health crisis as a CoreCivic-specific failure is misleading. In facilities where CoreCivic provides medical care, licensed doctors, nurses and mental health professionals are on-site around the clock. Every detainee has daily access to medical services, and we coordinate with local hospitals for specialized care. In 2024 alone, CoreCivic’s medical professionals managed more than 804,000 on-site medical and mental health encounters and 24,600 off-site services.
On accountability: In 2025, 33 CoreCivic facilities earned accreditation through the independent American Correctional Association, with an average audit score of 99.6%. Our government partners conducted over 230 audits and inspections, and our internal quality assurance division conducted 34 annual audits examining more than 1,200 indicators. This isn’t a company avoiding scrutiny. It’s one that welcomes it.
The author claimed that at some detention facilities used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that there’s “an unspoken directive” to make conditions for detainees “miserable.” This ignores plain facts. People in our care get three nutritious meals a day, comprehensive medical care, access to recreation and many other services. What’s more, CoreCivic doesn’t enforce immigration laws, arrest anyone or have any say whatsoever in any individual’s deportation or release. Our sole responsibility is to care for each person humanely and respectfully while they receive the legal due process they’re entitled to.
CoreCivic is also investing significantly in Leavenworth: approximately 300 well-paying jobs starting at $28.25 per hour with full benefits, and an estimated $1.4 million in annual payments to the city. These are real resources for Leavenworth.
CoreCivic is committed to operating a safe, transparent and accountable facility — and to being a valued employer, neighbor and partner. The residents of Leavenworth deserve an honest conversation about what this facility is and what it offers their community. Stale anecdotes and incendiary language don’t provide that. The facts do.
Steve Owen is vice president of communications for CoreCivic.