March 19, 2024

New warden takes reins at Newton Correctional Facility

Move-in of sex offender program a major focus

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When Kris Weitzell took over as warden of the Newton Correctional Facility in April, it wasn’t as if she was taking over at a place unfamiliar to her.

Weitzell was the warden at NCF for about nine years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, overseeing the prison while the new medium-security buildings were constructed and opened in 1997. Though she sees plenty of new faces among the staff who weren’t in Newton when she departed in December of 2005, the 30-year veteran of the Iowa Department of Corrections knows her way around the facility.

“We have great staff here — both the long-timers and the newer folks,” Weitzell said. “And our goal is to assist with positive change.”

Weitzell was appointed as warden of both the Newton medium-security and minimum-security Correctional Release Center sites by the Iowa Board of Corrections at its April board meeting. She took over slightly more than one month after the announcement of the retirement of the top two Newton prison officials, warden Terry Mapes and deputy warden Jill Dursky.

Jeremy Larson is leaving his position as the deputy warden of the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville to become Weitzell’s deputy warden, beginning Friday.

Weitzell had only been the warden of the Fort Dodge Correction Facility since early September. She was the superintendent of the Clarinda Correctional Facility for about 18 months before being moved to Fort Dodge last fall.

The minimum-security east campus of the Newton facility, known as the Newton Correctional Release Center, is typically one of the last stops for inmates serving medium-length or short sentences and who are approaching their release dates, with off-site work detail privileges and programming such as training dogs for the Jasper County Animal Rescue League or as Puppy Jake veterans service animals.

Even though there have been three escape-related incidents at the CRC this year, Weitzell said those are few and far in between. She said the department's goals have always been to reduce the number of people harmed by the inmates in the custody — not simply while they're at a DOC facility, but also for the rest of their lives.

“We don’t want there to be any more victims once each offender returns to his community,” Weitzell said. “A strong support system is critical to that.”

As of Saturday, the Newton Medium Facility had 942 inmates, or 180 above capacity, while the CRC had 269, or 17 above its capacity. The daily statistics shown on www.doc.state.ia.us show the statewide total of 8,177 inmates is about 11 percent over the maximum number the facilities are designed to house.

While overcrowding and staffing levels have been addressed at the labor union and state legislature level, Weitzell declined to comment when asked what she thinks about staffing levels. The DOC has said it will not comment on staffing levels, and that its use of available space for inmates is “constantly under review.”

The department’s sex-offender treatment program is in the process of moving to Newton’s medium-security complex after many years at the Mount Pleasant medium-security correctional facility.

Weitzell said training for the staff associated with that program is extensive. She expects to have more to report about sex-offender treatment in about four months.

The warden reminded the public inmates are not typically housed in the county where they grew up, lived and/or committed crimes, and are unlikely to be paroled directly into communities such as Newton that are close to their prison facility.

“Once in a while, an offender is released into a different community than where they were from,” Weitzell said. “But that’s discussed on a case-by-case basis, just as other supports are addressed. Work skills, family support, sometimes 12-step program needs — it’s all important to an individual.”

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com