Maximum security prisoners moved to new Iowa State Penitentiary facility

FORT MADISON - The Iowa State Penitentiary moved its maximum security offenders from the 176-year-old existing facility to the new institution on Saturday.

According to a release from the Iowa Department of Corrections, 507 offenders were moved for the previous location. The nearly six hour move began shortly before 7 a.m. and was complete by 1 p.m. The process happened without incident.

'It went very smoothly,” said Fred Scaletta of the Iowa Department of Corrections.

Iowa State Penitentiary staff was aided by other law enforcement agencies, including the Iowa State Patrol, Fort Madison Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff's Office, Department of Natural Resources, Department of Transportation and the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to the release. Officials said 215 people were involved in the move.

'It's the spirit of cooperation,” said Fort Madison Mayor Brad Randolph, who also works as a reserve police officer. 'We have to have everybody on board and everybody understanding what the intent is with transferring the inmates, not only to keep them safe, but to keep the community safe.”

Jerry Bartruff with the Iowa Department of Corrections praised the collaborative effort and calling it a historic day for the State of Iowa.

'Together over 500 offenders were moved from the oldest operating facility west of the Mississippi to the new state-of-the art facility to ensure public safety,” Bartruff said.

Members of the Fort Madison Police Department blocked off the highway as buses moved inmates away from the old prison, which was built in 1839. The new prison sits about two miles from old facility in a more secluded area surrounded by cornfields and bluffs.

The move marks the end of the roughly $180 million dollar project that suffered several delays due to issues with design and construction.