[AicapAifap] NEW REPORT: Private Prison Population Grew 5X Faster than Total Prison Population

[Alliance of Incarcerated Canadians/Foreigners in American Prisons]

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	 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 2, 2018
 Contact: Morgan McLeod
 mmcleod at sentencingproject.org
 202-628-0871                     
                      Population in Private Prisons Grew Five Times
Faster than Total Prison Population, 2000-2016                        

                        	* 1 of every 12 people in U.S. prisons
incarcerated in a private prison in 2016                         	*
73% of people in immigration detention confined in private facilities
in 2017                        
	 WASHINGTON, DC – Despite substantial research that challenges the
purported cost-saving benefits of private prisons, and the bipartisan
consensus on the need to address mass incarceration, from 2000 to 2016
the number of people housed in private prisons increased 47 percent,
compared to an overall rise in the prison population of 9 percent,
according to a new report from The Sentencing Project.  

	 “As criminal justice reform policies gain prominence nationwide,
reconciling the harmful consequences of for-profit influences in mass
incarceration is critical,” said Kara Gotsch, Director of Strategic
Initiatives. “In states like New Mexico and Florida where private
prison investments are strong, the history of the industry is
checkered by allegations of corruption, abuse and political
influence.”  

	 Twenty-seven states and the federal government relied on private
prisons to incarcerate 128,063 people as of 2016, reports Capitalizing
on Mass Incarceration: U.S. Growth in Private Prisons. New Mexico had
the highest proportion (43 percent) of its population held privately,
followed closely by Montana with 39 percent in 2016.  

	 At the federal level, the Bureau of Prisons’ reliance on private
prisons increased dramatically (120 percent) since 2000 from 15,524 to
34,159. While a recent reduction in the federal prison population
helped precipitate a phasing out of private contracts during the Obama
administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions abruptly reversed the
plan in early 2017. In subsequent months he has sought to expand the
number of private prison beds in expectation of renewed growth in the
federal prison population.                     
 Under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security, the
proportion of people detained in private immigration facilities
increased by 442 percent since 2002. On average 26,249 people were
confined in private immigration detention on any given day in 2017.  

	 Private prison companies claim they can reduce costs while also
offering services necessary for maintaining safety in prisons and
generating a profit for shareholders. As a result, companies pay
employees less, skimp on staff trainings and thereby jeopardize
conditions in facilities.  

	 The report concludes with policy recommendations, including ending
for-profit prison privatization, barring transfers to private
facilities far from home and removing mandated bed-quotes for
immigration detention which incentive private contracts.  

	 The report, authored by Gotsch and Vinay Basti, also includes
in-depth case studies of prison privatization in Florida, New Mexico,
New York, North Carolina and Texas. The profiles offer historical
context about state criminal justice policies, and document the
political culture, perspectives and circumstances that influenced the
rise or fall of private prisons in each jurisdiction.  

	 ###                     
	 The Sentencing Project
 1705 DeSales Street NW 8th Floor | Washington, District of Columbia
20036
 202-628-0871 | staff at sentencingproject.org  

	 The Sentencing Project works for a fair and effective U.S. justice
system by promoting reforms in sentencing policy, addressing unjust
racial disparities and practices, and advocating for alternatives to
incarceration.                      
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