For Immediate Release December 17, 2009

     For additional information please contact Steve Schneider, Public Information Officer

                                                    Hutchinson Correctional Facility

                                                              Hutchinson, Kansas

                                                                 620-728-3335

                                                                 620-728-3338

Warden Sam Cline of the Hutchinson Correctional Facility has announced that visitation at the prison’s maximum security Central Unit has been cancelled for this weekend, December 19th and 20^th, due to the number of cases of influenza like illnesses among the inmate population.

In addition, transfers of inmates into and out of the Hutchinson Correctional Facility will be cancelled through next week. All volunteer activities at the prison’s Central Unit are cancelled until further notice. The employee holiday tours originally scheduled for Friday, December 18, 2009 are also cancelled.

These changes in visitation and volunteer programs do not affect the medium custody East Unit or the minimum custody South Unit of the Hutchinson Correctional Facility. These schedule changes are being made in compliance with the infectious disease mitigation response plan which has been developed by the Kansas Department of Corrections in recent months. The situation at the facility will be re-evaluated by the middle of next week to determine if continued changes to operations are warranted.