Locking up the prison business?

AuthorKaelble, Steve
PositionGeupel DeMars Correctional Systems Group

Geupel DeMars Correctional Systems Group finds growth industry.

Make no mistake, the people at Geupel DeMars don't like crime any more than anyone else does. But when prosecutors and judges get tougher on crooks, business booms at the Indianapolis construction company.

Geupel DeMars has quietly been making a name for itself in the business of prison construction. It has been a part of projects ranging from Midwestern county jails to a prison on New York's infamous Rikers Island. "The specialized work we really do, besides general contracting, is called 'detention equipment contracting," explains Geupel DeMars' president, Robert Navarre. "It involves furnishing and installing the unique security-related items in a prison."

Some of the things that the Geupel DeMars Correctional Systems Group installs are door-control systems, closed-circuit TV and intercom networks, fence detection systems, microwave motion detectors, fire alarms, metal detection systems, detention windows, and of course, cell doors. The division--headed up by Geupel DeMars vice president Manher Shah--works both on new prison projects and upgrades of older jails.

According to Navarre, there's plenty of prison building and renovating going on in the United States. "And there's still a need for more state facilities to get prisoners out of county jails, and still a lot of renovation work needed in many county jails," he says. Plus, the federal prison system is in the midst of a major expansion program.

How has Geupel DeMars become such a respected force in the prison industry? For one thing, the company is knowledgeable about prison security products, yet independent from the companies that actually make those products. Some other detection equipment and electronic security system specialists represent certain manufacturers exclusively, which Geupel DeMars claims can limit the options they...

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