The company that has long operated the Hamilton County Workhouse is changing its name.
Hamilton County was one of the first clients of Corrections Corporation of America, which will be renamed "CoreCivic."
Officials said the change is "for financial and public reporting purposes later in 2016 consistent with its announcement on October 28, 2016 to rebrand and rename the corporate enterprise."
The company for the third quarter had revenue of $474.9 million - up 3.3 percent.
Hamilton County is studying whether to close the downtown jail and build a smaller jail nearby. The bulk of the inmates would go to the workhouse at Silverdale.
County Commissioner Tim Boyd, who heads the commission's finance committee, said the name change was a troubling sign.
He said, "When a company changes its name (and thus its brand) after more than 30 years in business, something seriously problematic with the brand is the underlying issue."