Private Prisons
Mass incarceration deprives record numbers of individuals of their liberty, has at best a minimal effect on public safety, and cripples state budgets. Meanwhile, private prison companies rake in profits by obtaining government money in ever increasing amounts, by depriving Americans of liberty in ever greater numbers, and potentially by cutting corners at the expense of both public safety and the well being of prisoners.
REPORT: Banking on Bondage: Private Prisons and Mass Incarceration
(2011 Report): The imprisonment of human beings at record levels is both a moral failure and an economic one—especially at a time when more and more Americans are struggling to make ends meet and when state governments confront enormous fiscal crises. This report finds, however, that mass incarceration provides a gigantic windfall for one special interest group—the private prison industry—even as current incarceration levels harm the country as a whole. Read the Report »
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Over the past four decades, imprisonment in the United States has increased explosively, spurred by criminal laws that impose steep sentences and curtail the opportunity to earn probation and parole. The current incarceration rate deprives record numbers of individuals of their liberty, disproportionately affects people of color, and has at best a minimal effect on public safety. Meanwhile, the crippling cost of imprisoning increasing numbers of Americans saddles government budgets with rising debt and exacerbates the current fiscal crisis confronting states across the nation.
Private prison companies, however, essentially admit that their business model depends on locking up more and more people. For example, in a 2010 Annual Report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) stated: “The demand for our facilities and services could be adversely affected by . . . leniency in conviction or parole standards and sentencing practices . . . .” As incarceration rates skyrocket, the private prison industry expands at exponential rates, holding ever more people in its prisons and jails, and generating massive profits.
And while supporters of private prisons tout the idea that governments can save money through privatization, the evidence that private prisons save taxpayer money is mixed at best – in fact, private prisons may in some instances cost more than governmental ones. Private prisons have also been linked to numerous cases of violence and atrocious conditions.
Multimedia & Infographics
MAP: Sexual Abuse in Immigration Detention Facilities (2011 map): A state-by-state picture of allegations of sexual abuse in immigration detention facilities.
Blog & News
For-Profit Prisons: A Barrier to Serious Criminal Justice Reform (2011 op-ed, CNBC.com): An opinion piece by the ACLU’s David Shapiro on the problems with private prisons.
Documents Obtained by ACLU Show Sexual Abuse of Immigration Detainees Is Widespread National Problem (2011 press release): Documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act provide a first-ever window into the breadth of the national problem of sexual abuse of detainees in immigration detention facilities.
License to Abuse? Time for Bureau of Prisons to Sever Ties with CCA (2011 blog post): Since 2003, there have been at least 19 deaths in facilities operated by CCA, including three in Georgia.
ACLU And Southern Poverty Law Center File Federal Lawsuit Challenging Inhumane Conditions At For-Profit Youth Prison (2010 press release): A federal class-action lawsuit against the for-profit operators of the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility (WGYCF), charging that the children there are forced to live in barbaric and unconstitutional conditions and are subjected to excessive uses of force by prison staff.
Publisher Sues Corrections Corporation of America Over Censorship of Books Sent to Prisoners (2009 press release): A lawsuit against Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the nation's largest for-profit prison firm, charging that CCA violated the First Amendment and the Arizona Constitution by censoring books sent to prisoners at the company's Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona.
