Private Prison Company to Demand 90% Occupancy

[The Straight Story]

Private Prison Company to Demand 90% Occupancy

The nation’s largest private prison company is offering cash-strapped state governments to buy up their penitentiaries and manage convicted criminals at a cost-savings. But there’s a catch…the states must guarantee that are there are enough prisoners to ensure that the venture is profitable to the company.

Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) has reached out to 48 states as part of a $250 million plan to own existing prisons and manage their operations. But in return CCA wants a 20-year contract and assurances that the state will keep the prisons at least 90% full.

In the past CCA has operated its own prisons and contracted with states to house inmates. But until now the company never offered to essentially take over public corrections systems.

Ohio already has sold one of its largest prisons to CCA. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal wanted last year to sell three of his state’s prisons to the company, but the legislature refused to go along.

http://www.allgov.com/Top_Stories/ViewNews/Private_Prison_Company_to_Demand_90_Percent_Occupancy_120216

[morningfog]

1. As horrible as this is, states wouldn't have a hard time meeting it.

Many states have current occupancy rates at 150-300%.

[Denver Donkeys]

2. CCA needs to be banned from taking in federal and state contracts

permanently.

Let them run gulags in Russia if they really need the money.

[Ikonoklast]

4. Yep, CCA lobbies state legislatures to declare everything illegal in order to fill their prisons.

Run a stop sign?

Two years in the slammer.

=

PROFIT!

[NC_Nurse]

3. I just read that many small towns are going broke after building prisons that are not needed. Crime

is going down and these bloodsuckers need to take a hike. They've already pushed for more and longer prison terms with ALEC legislation and for imprisoning illegal immigrants through laws like the Arizona "show me your papers" law.
Private prisons have higher rates of violence and abuse due to less training of employees (guards) and they use prisoners as pretty close to slave-labor.

We need to be looking at less incarceration, especially for nonviolent offenders. These pricks aren't going to let that happen anytime soon and selling more prisons to them is just a really bad idea.