Residents urge Clearfield County to end GEO Group contract over alleged detainee mistreatment; commissioners say oversight limited

Multiple residents and a man who said he was recently detained at the Moshannon Valley processing center told Clearfield County commissioners on April 28 that conditions at the GEO Group-operated facility are inhumane and that the county should not renew its contract.

At public comment, Bobby Ericson arranged a phone call with a man who identified himself only by the initials JN and said he was detained 45 days. JN described delayed medical attention (he said a migraine request took three days), restricted access to tablets ("78 of us in that dormitory and 15 tablets available"), and meals he described as cold and inconsistent. "They treated me less than human," he said on the call.

Other commenters recounted family separations, alleged denial of medications, placement in solitary after hunger strikes, sexual-assault allegations against staff, and reports of worms or mold in food. Charlotte Moral said her husband has been held more than 14 months with no court dates and no clear case status. Daisy Clark, who identified herself as a mother who lost a son to suicide, said county and facility practices have contributed to mental-health crises and told commissioners the facility has had multiple confirmed suicide attempts since opening.

Speakers repeatedly urged the board to end Clearfield County's contract with GEO Group, arguing the facility harms the county's reputation and the wellbeing of detainees and families. One commenter said GEO receives roughly $3.4 million or more per month and challenged the morality of the county's participation.

In response, commissioners questioned some of the claims and described the limits of the county's authority. Board members said they had been in regular contact with facility management and that an internal inquiry found no evidence a hunger strike occurred; commissioners stated that fewer than 10% of detainees missed one meal during the reported incident. They emphasized that the facility operates under federal immigration authority and that the county's role is contractual and largely administrative.

Commissioners also acknowledged the county receives an administration payment (described in the meeting as $200,000 annually) and that the facility creates substantial local economic activity; officials cited an estimated regional economic impact figure of roughly $40 million and said more than 400 GEO employees and additional ICE personnel are connected to operations in the area. They said if Clearfield County withdrew its contract the federal government or other operators could relocate detainees elsewhere, and that closing the facility would not be within their unilateral power.

The board did not vote on the contract at the meeting. Commissioners said the contract renewal is scheduled for September and that continuing public concern and investigative requests will inform their work between now and then. One commissioner said on the record that he will not vote to renew, while others said they remain on the fence but value having a local point of contact with facility managers.

Next steps: commissioners said they will continue to receive information, respond to legitimate complaints, and that a formal renewal decision is expected in September.