Corrections Corporation of America wants to privatize all of America's prisons but at what cost to justice?
Corrections Corporation of America, the nation's largest operator of for-profit prisons, has sent letters recently to 48 states offering to buy up their prisons as a remedy for "challenging corrections budgets." In exchange, the company is asking for a 20-year management contract, plus an assurance that the prison would remain at least 90 percent full, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Huffington Post.
There are many issues I have with privatizing our correctional facilities, chief among them is their stated goal of keeping their prisons nearly full or "90% full" does anyone think for one moment we're living in a democratic society? Where's the incentive to incarcerate less people? What about Judges, politicians or law enforcement officials who own shares in the GEO group,CCA, Wackenhut or Pricor?
Private Prisons for Profit:
http://www.aclu.org/prisoners-rights/banking-bondage-private-prisons-and-mass-incarceration
1.) http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/419/
2.) http://mediafilter.org/mff/prison.html
3.) http://www.alternet.org/story/17392/
Corrections Corporation of America's offer to privatize correctional facilities:
http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/ccaletter.pdf
In recent years, Corrections Corporation of America has made it clear that it sees opportunity in the new era of state budget crises.
Corrections Corporation's offer of $250 million toward purchasing existing state prisons is yet another avenue for potential growth. The company has billed the "corrections investment initiative" as a convenient option for states in need of fresh revenue streams: The state benefits from a one-time infusion of cash, while the prison corporation wins a new long-term contract. In addition, supporters of prison privatization have argued that states can achieve cost savings through outsourcing, as prison corporations give fewer benefits to employees.
Critics point to inherent problems in such long-term contracts, particularly provisions that require a prison to be 90 percent full throughout the life of an agreement. In Ohio, for example, contractors are guaranteed payment at the 90 percent rate "regardless of the actual number of inmates at the institution at that time."
The mandate to keep prisons full raises questions about cost efficiency -- what if there aren't enough inmates? -- but it also presents a moral question about maintaining a constant supply of new prisoners."It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy," said Shakyra Diaz, policy director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio. "In order to have it at 90 percent, you need to be able to make criminals to fill it at 90 percent."
At this point, it's unclear how many states will be interested in selling off prisons. Arizona, New Hampshire and Florida are considering privatizing the management of state prisons, but so far none have specifically broached the topic of a sale.
State corrections officials who were contacted in California, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Montana, Georgia, Texas, Illinois and New York all said they were not considering such prison sales at this time. In Illinois and New York, laws prohibit state inmates from being housed in private prisons, according to corrections officials.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/14/private-prisons-buying-state-prisons_n_1272143.html
Private Prisons Bill Voted Down In Florida Senate, Thwarting Massive Expansion.
The Florida Senate narrowly defeated a bill this week that would have handed over management of more than two dozen state prisons to private corporations -- the largest-ever attempt at prison privatization in the nation.
The contentious measure was defeated despite getting the endorsement of powerful state Republican lawmakers, including Gov. Rick Scott and a former chairman of the Florida Republican Party. The Wall Street corporations that own and operate for-profit prisons were closely attuned to the vote in Florida, hoping for a major expansion of management contracts in the nation's third-largest prison system.
The policy implications were massive: the bill would have privatized every state prison south of Orlando, which represents about 20 percent of the entire correctional system. The GEO Group, one of the nation's largest private-prison corporations, has its corporate headquarters in the heart of South Florida and had expressed great interest in what its chief executive called "the largest single contract procurement in the history of our industry."
Both GEO Group and Corrections Corporation of America, the nation's largest operator of for-profit prisons, have lobbied heavily and spent liberally on Florida campaigns in recent years. Over the last decade, the Florida Republican party has been the single largest recipient of campaign donations nationwide from both companies, according to a Huffington Post analysis of campaign finance data, and employees at both companies or their proxies have donated a combined total of more than $1.8 million to Florida candidates and committees over the last three election cycles.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/15/private-prisons-florida-senate_n_1279822.html