November 2013
Walsh Celebrates the Grand Opening of Two Correctional Facilities in Iowa
The ribbon cutting ceremony for the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women (ICIW) was held on October 28th, 2013. ICIW is a medium security facility. Four new buildings built by Walsh Construction allow for key services for offender mental health and wellness starting in the hospital/medical building H and continuing down to the visitation area in building A where the focus is on family support, with areas for mothers and their young children. Over 250 security cameras are placed throughout the new facility to maintain review and control. The facility can house nearly 900 inmates.
Walsh also celebrated the completion of the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison. The three main housing units can hold more than 700 inmates and contains more natural light than most prisons. The complex also includes a chapel, library, several classrooms, a barber shop, and a wing that deals with mental health and another for aging inmates.
One unique feature is the food service area. It's the one place where the prison population is not locked down and allowed to traverse at least three times per day. In each dining room, one wall has three large slots at knee level. One slot offers regular meals with vegetarian and diet meals in the other two. This is a new practice, compared to the previous prison, designed to curb potential conflict because the server and the receiver cannot see each other.