SecureLok Transport System
Chapter 1 American Prisoner Transport Like many government agencies, the Department of Corrections faced mounting pressure to cut costs. At the January budget oversight committee meeting, Section Chief Terry Manning identified six areas of overspending. One stood out: interstate prisoner transport. Gone were the days of white buses with barred windows ferrying inmates across state lines. The maintenance costs were unsustainable, and the security risks too high. Those buses had become prime targets for gangs or hired mercenaries looking to stage mass escapes. Even newer methods—like unmarked black SUVs—had their limits. Air travel was the biggest expense. The federal prisoner transfer hub in Oklahoma City still operated flights for high-risk inmates, but each Boeing 737 cost $25,000 per flight hour. With security restrictions limiting capacity to just 50 inmates per trip, a single coast-to-coast transport could cost upwards of $250,000. As a result, extraditions were delayed—sometimes indefinitely—until a plane could be filled to justify the cost. ...