President Barack Obama spoke out against Guantanamo Bay again this week, stating that there are many reasons the detention center needs to be shut down, including the cost the government spends keeping prisoners there.
The Pentagon estimated on May 3 that it spends around $150 million each year to operate the prison and military court system.
A recently released study indicates that it costs the U.S. $900,000 per prisoner annually at the U.S. Naval Base in Cuba. Approximately 166 inmates are currently in custody according to Reuters.
By comparison, maximum security prisons around the U.S. spend $60,000 to $70,000 at most to house inmates according to Reuters. The average cost per inmate at a federal prison cost around $30,000 yearly.
When Obama first ran for election back in 2008, one of his selling points to Americans was his desire to close the prison. Having failed to do so still, Obama stated this week he's going to try again.
"It's extremely inefficient," said Ken Gude, chief of staff and vice president at the liberal Center for American Progress think tank, who has followed developments at Guantanamo Bay according to Reuters. "That may be what finally gets us to actually close the prison. I mean the costs are astronomical, when you compare them to what it would cost to detain somebody in the United States."
The prison was established under Obama's Republican predecessor George W. Bush and has been a constant target of criticism by rights groups and foreign governments around the world.
Among current inmates, nine have been charged with crimes or have been convicted, 24 are considered eligible for possible prosecution, 86 have been cleared for transfer or release, and 47 are considered too dangerous to be released but are not facing prosecution according to Reuters.
The huge cost of running the prison and judicial complex is blamed on its offshore location at a 45-square-mile U.S. Naval Base on the southeastern coast of Cuba. Since ties between the two countries are "almost nonexistent," almost everything for the facilities has to be brought in from outside.
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