Alexander Sanchez is the facility administrator of the IAH Secure Adult Detention Center which is privately owned and operated by Management & Training Corporation (MTC). He began working in the corrections field right out of high school, has been with MTC for 20 years and has been facility administrator at IAH for nearly six years.
As Sanchez explained to the Livingston Lions Club recently, IAH has two customers – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), for which 1,000 beds are allotted for people apprehended in the U.S.; and the U.S. Marshals Service, for which 60 beds are allotted for people waiting to be sentenced.
IAH’s housing units are divided into four hallways and its population is all adult males. Sanchez said there are three different staffing levels, depending on the average population per month. Daily nationality counts are conducted and the day he spoke to the Lions, Mexico was the large nationality housed there, followed by Honduras and Cuba. He said it changes monthly and fluctuates every single day.
Sanchez said the people housed at IAH are called residents, not inmates or detainees, and that nearly 10,000 residents in total came through the facility last year. That particular morning, he had 887 residents, all classified on different levels.
As for the length of stay of the residents, Sanchez said it depends on the administration. He said the length of stay has increased under the current administration, averaging around 36 days.
Sanchez said that MTC is a company that is really big on mental health and trying to enhance the environment. The company’s motto is BIONIC, which is an acronym for “Believe it or not, I care,” something he said is not just a slogan to him.
The facility welcomes resident-initiated environmental enhancement, such as murals that residents have painted on the walls. They also occasionally hold field days in which residents and staff alike cook out, play volleyball and participate in line dancing, a mindful movement for wellness.