By Jill Schnall and Tim DiPaolo

Introduction States are contracting private prisons to

take prisoners from public prisons mainly to relieve overcrowding

States pay certain amount to firms for each prisoner in the private prison depending on security level

Corrections Corporation of America vs. GEO group Inc. (Wackenhut Corrections) has built prisons in US, Australia, UK and Canada and under contract in New Zealand and the Netherlands

History Cont.• 1998 Corrections Corporation of America charged

with maintaining unsafe conditions by allowing inmates needing maximum security transferred into a minimum security prison in Youngstown, Ohio from Washington, D.C. due to relaxed screening – fatal for 2 inmates

• 1999 2 CCA prisons in NM had stabbings and deaths

2002 TN Supreme Court decided in Memphis Publishing Company vs. Cherokee Children and Family Services that private facilities performing government services have to fulfill public reporting requirements

History Cont. 2005 Prison Legal News sued GEO group

for incompliance with FL laws on public records

2007 Friedmann v. CCA – PLN sued due to incompliance with 2002 court decision

CCA unwilling to comply with Freedom of Information Act

2002-2008, 85 CCA employees were charged with crimes

2007 Proposed H.R. 1889, Private Prison Information Act would require private companies to disclose information

History• Began to appear in early 1980s primarily in the

South and West• The Justice Assistance Act of 1984 allowed prisons

to contract out inmates to private entrepreneurs• 1985 first state-level private-prison contract was

signed in KY• 1990 Illinois expressly forbidding prison privatization

– government function• 1998 North Carolina ended contractual arrangement

with CCA for operation of 2 facilities CCA had built

For Private Prisons Prevent overcrowding Save tax payer dollars Not a new idea Contractual and legal safeguards to ensure

quality Contract can be terminated for

mismanagement

For Private Prisons Cont. Financial incentives help to maintain order

and security Many studies show that some privately run

prisons have a higher quality of service at a lower cost

Freedom to set their own budget and design their own facilities

Provide healthcare, education, and rehab

Against Private Prisons Savings are a result of lower quality

services (food, medical care, basic needs) Lower levels of staff and training Misplacement of inmates Doing justice should be the government’s

job Profit motives cause operators to cut

corners

Against Private Prisons Cont. Officials in private prisons report the

behavior of prisoners to state authorities States often do not oversee prisoner

transfers in privatized prisons Gaining power may cause private

companies to have influence over corrections policy

Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) Innovative, efficient, cost effective, forward-

thinking correctional solutions Helps Economy

Pays sales taxes and property taxesPays utility payments and construction costs. Creates jobs for an average of 200 skilled

tradespersons on new construction projectsEmploys hundreds of new professionalsRevitalizes existing local businesses and helps

establish new ones

CCA Cont. Helps Community

Community Relations CommitteesSupports a variety of causes and organizations

○ Habitat for Humanity, the American Cancer Society, March of Dimes, the American Red Cross

Variety of rehabilitation/education programs addictions treatment, GED preparation/testing,

post-secondary studies, life skills, employment training, recreational options & work opportunities

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Prison run on taxpayers' expense Gets lower quality of services

Understaffed, unqualified and poorly trained corrections personnel

Public workers are laid off Corruption scandals “preserve quality public services, ensure that

public service employees are treated fairly and hold elected officials accountable to the public”

AFSME Cont.

Supports H.R. 2305 – Public Safety ActEnd taxpayer-supported privatization

Corporations care more about profit than public safety and security

Fundamental government responsibility

Table 3. Number of State or Federal Prisoners in Private Facilities, 2000-2008

Number of Prisoners Year Total Federal State Percent of

All Prisoners2000 87,369 15,524 71,845 6.3%2001 91,828 19,251 72,577 5.8%2002 93,912 20,274 73,638 6.5%2003 95,707 21,865 73,842 6.5%2004 98,628 24,768 73,860 6.6%2005 107,940 27,046 80,894 7.1%2006 113,697 27,726 85,971 7.2%2007 123,942 31,310 92,632 7.8%2008 128,524 33,162 95,362 8.0%Average annualchange 2000-07 5.1% 10.5% 3.7% :Percent change2007-08 3.7% 5.9% 2.9% :Source: Sabol, William J., Heather C. West, and Matthew Cooper, Prisoners in 2008, Appendix Table 18.Note: Figures are as of December 31 for each calendar year.

Evidence/Statistics For Private Prisons Prison population is expected to grow

13% in 2011 States are expected to spend $27.5

billion on new inmates CCA controls 87,000 beds at 65

institutions 2009 – net income of CCA was $42.5

million

Evidence/Statistics: Against Private Prisons Arizona

49% more assaults on staff members66% more inmate on inmate assaults53% turnover rate of employeesStarting wages 23.4% lowerHigher position wages 39.4% lower

Recent Developments July 3 2010 prisoners escape from AZ private

prison – untrained guards and faulty security system

2010 SB 1070 (Arizona Immigration Law) would put more inmates into private prisons in AZ

Nov 2010 AZ state audit found private prisons cost taxpayers per inmate $55.89 per day while public prisons $48.13 a day

Prop. 19 in CA – less prisoners for CCA private prisons

Nov 2010 Walnut Grove, the Walnut Correctional Authority and GEO group vs. Dennis Earl Holmes

Green Party

Private prisons should be illegal Prisons treat people as their product Provide worse service than government

run facilities Profits come from understaffing

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s View on Private Prisons

In favor of private prisons Public Prisons are too crowded Government spends too much money on

prisons Cut costs on prisons

Terry Goddard 5-point plan to improve prison security

1. immediate review of location and security risk posed by all violent prisoners in AZ

2. immediate re-assignment of violent prisoners currently in minimum and medium security prisons

3. immediate security review of all private prisons in state

4. delay the assignment of future violent prisoners to private prisons until step 3 is complete

5. Appoint a blue-ribbon commission to investigate facility where escape occurred and fine the company

Additional Information

http://www.correctionscorp.com/ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29142654

/

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