Private/for profit prisons

1. By Jill Schnall and Tim DiPaolo Private/for profit prisons

2. 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)

3. History • early 1980s • The Justice Assistance Act of 1984 • 1985 first state-level private-prison contract was signed in KY • 1990 Illinois expressly forbid prison privatization • 1998 NC ended contractual arrangement with CCA for operation of 2 facilities CCA had built

4. History Cont. • 1998 Corrections Corporation of America charged • 1999 2 CCA prisons in NM had stabbings and deaths • 2002 TN Supreme Court in Memphis Publishing Company vs. Cherokee Children and Family Services

5. History Cont. • 2005 Prison Legal News sued GEO group for non-compliance with FL laws on public records • 2007 Friedmann v. CCA – PLN sued due to non-compliance 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

6. 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

7. For Private Prisons Cont. • Financial incentives help to maintain order and security • Many studies show that privately run prisons have a higher quality of service and level of performance • Freedom to set their own budget and design their own facilities • Provide healthcare, education, and rehab

8. 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

9. 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

10. Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) • Innovative, efficient, cost effective, forward-thinking correctional solutions • Helps Economy • Pays sales taxes and property taxes • Pays utility payments and construction costs. • Creates jobs for an average of 200 skilled tradespersons on new construction projects • Employs hundreds of new professionals • Revitalizes existing local businesses and helps establish new ones

11. CCA Cont. • Helps Community • Community Relations Committees • Supports 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

12. 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”

13. AFSME Cont. • Supports H.R. 2305 – Public Safety Act • End taxpayer-supported privatization • Corporations care more about profit than public safety and security • Fundamental government responsibility

14. Table 3. Number of State or Federal Prisoners in Private Facilities, 2000-2008 Number of Prisoners Year Total Federal State Percent of All Prisoners 2000 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 annual change 2000-07 5.1% 10.5% 3.7% : Percent change 2007-08 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.

15. Evidence/Statistics For Private Prisons • Prison population is growing by more than 400% each decade • Federal prisons would need 35,000-40,000 new beds each year • Control 87,000 beds at 65 institutions • 2009 – net income of $42.5 million

16. Evidence/Statistics: Against Private Prisons • Arizona • 49% more assaults on staff members • 66% more inmate on inmate assaults • 53% turnover rate of employees • Starting wages 23.4% lower • Higher position wages 39.4% lower

17. Evidence/Statistics Against Private Prisons • GAO spent 1 year examining studies of private and public prison costs http://www.afscme.org/publications/2550.cfm

18. Recent Developments • July 3 2010 prisoners escape from AZ private prison • 2010 SB 1070 (Arizona Immigration Law) • 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 • Nov 2010 Walnut Grove, the Walnut Correctional Authority and GEO group vs. Dennis Earl Holmes • 2010 PA Judge pleads guilty

19. Green Party • Private prisons should be illegal • Prisons treat people as their product • Provide worse service than government run facilities • Profits come from understaffing

20. 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

21. Arizona Democrats • Oppose giving control of state prisons to private corporations • Unregulated • Safety Issue

22. Additional Information • http://www.correctionscorp.com/ • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXOHtlvO9jI

23. Works Cited • 2001, By. "Prisons, Privatization, And Public Values." Restructuring Local Government. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. <http://government.cce.cornell.edu/doc/html/PrisonsPrivatization.htm>. • "About Us | Corrections Corporation of America." CCA. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. <http://www.correctionscorp.com/about/>. • "AFSCME - AFSCME Corrections United: 10 Years of Federal Legislative Advocacy ." American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. <http://www.afscme.org/workers/6590.cfm>. • "AFSCME - Corrections." American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. <http://www.afscme.org/workers/67.cfm>. • Anderson, George M.. "Prisons for Profit." America Magazine . N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2010. <http://www.americamagazine. • Buduson, Sarah. "Audit: Private Prisons Cost Slightly More - Phoenix News Story - KPHO Phoenix." 4 Nov. 2010. Web. 04 Nov. 2010. <http://www.kpho.com/news/25628062/detail.html>. • "CCA." CCA. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. <http://www.correctionscorp.com/home/>. • Chittum, Ryan. "Captive Customers." Columbia Journalism Review. 2 Nov. 2010. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. <http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/captive_customers.php>. • Friedmann , Alex. Personal interview. 8 June 1926. • Gainsborough, Jenni. "The Truth About Private Prisons | | AlterNet." Home | AlterNet. 15 Dec. 2003. Web. 04 Nov. 2010. <http://www.alternet.org/story/17392/>. • Geoffrey, Segal November. "Private Prisons Save Money, Boost Productivity." Reason Foundation. 17 Nov. 2003. Web. 04 Nov. 2010. <http://reason.org/news/show/private-prisons-save-money-boo>.

24. Goldmacher, Shane. "Private Prisons Operator Opens Wallet for Lawmakers - Los Angeles Times." Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. 22 Apr. 2010. Web. 04 Nov. 2010. <http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/22/local/la-me-0423-prisons-donor-m>. • "II. SOCIAL JUSTICE." Green Party of the United States. 21 Sept. 2004. Web. 05 Nov. 2010. <http://www.gp.org/platform/2004/socjustice.html#1001998>. • Jackson. "Suit: Inmate Died Lacking Med Care Hattiesburg American." 4 Nov. 2010. Web. 04 Nov. 2010. <http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20101104/NEWS01/11040341>. • "Jobs We Do." AFSCME. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. <http://www.afscme.org/workers/6590.cfm>. • Kirchhoff, Suzzane M. "Economic Impacts of Prison Growth." Congressional Research Service. 13 Apr. 2010. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. <http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41177.pdf>. • Powers, By Ashley. "Report Details Security Flaws at Arizona Private Prison - Los Angeles Times." Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. 20 Aug. 2010. Web. 04 Nov. 2010. <http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/20/nation/la-na-prison-escape-20100820>.

25. "Prison Privatization." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 1 Sept. 2000. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. <http://www.2facts.com/article/i0200620>. • "Private Prisons Do Not Save Money." AFSCME. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. <http://www.afscme.org/publications/2550.cfm>. • "Privatization." AFSCME. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. <http://www.afscme.org/issues/76.cfm>. • Rubinkam, Michael. "Former Pa. judge charged in juvenile justice scandal agrees to plead guilty | San Francisco Examiner ." San Francisco Examiner. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2010. <http://www.sfexaminer.com/nation/92435229.html>. • Seckler, Jim. "Mohave Daily News News Local Meeting on Private Prisons Canceled." Mohave Daily News Front. 4 Nov. 2010. Web. 04 Nov. 2010. <http://www.mohavedailynews.com/articles/2010/11/04/news/local/doc4cd25af56f108815949909.txt>. • Smith, Phil. "Private Prisons: Profits of Crime." Web. 20 Oct. 2010. <http://mediafilter.org/mff/prison.html>. • Steele, Tom. "Talk of the Town: Private Prison Statistics Raise Alarm." The Daily Courier. 19 Jan. 2010. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. <http://prescottdailycourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=36&SubSectionID=73&ArticleID=76844&TM=73783.91>. • Weisenthal, Joe. "This Is The Company That's Desperate To Keep Marijuana Illegal In California." Business Insider. 1 Nov. 2010. Web. 04 Nov. 2010. <http://www.businessinsider.com/corrections-corp-of-america-prop-19-2010-10>.