Council Rejects Corizon’s Bid for Jail Health Care Contract

After an intense lobbying battle, the D.C. Council rejected a $66-million proposal by Corizon Health to provide care at the Central Detention Facility, which has an inmate capacity of 2,164. The April 14 vote was 6-to-5 against Corizon. Mayor Muriel Bowser had supported the awarding of the contract to the Maryland-based, for-profit company, which Council member David Grosso called “scandal-prone.” According to the Washington Post, a Bowser spokesperson said that the Council’s decision would compel the District “to spend more on inmate medical services in the short term while a new bidding process is conducted.” Inmate advocates celebrated the vote, which they said would lead to better care for D.C. inmates.