GEO Group, CCA Net Out-of-State Contracts for California Inmates

Any wonder CA is broke? Private prisons cost tax payers an average of 33% MORE than what it costs for states to run their own prisons. All that extra money is going towards profit for corporations and there is NO justification for it. Do you like spending all that extra cash on housing offenders who aren't being rehabilitated? Does it give you a warm fuzzy feeling to know that lawmakers are awarding contracts to corporate cronies who don't give a damn about the safety of the general public? 

Private prisons are notorious for abuses against prisoners and before you say, "Oh boo hoo! Who cares if prisoners get abused?" stop and consider that the long term effects of abuse of prisoners results in ever angrier and more criminalized people being released back to the free world where they can then wreak havoc on your neighborhood. There is no point in creating more hardened criminals, no point in allowing our tax money to go towards corporate profits while the corporations don't care if anyone is ever rehabilitated - in fact, doesn't it work to their advantage to create more people who will commit more crimes, increase the odds of ex-cons reoffending...just so they can keep more beds full and charge the states more money to house prisoners?

Conservatives are not generally known for wanting to reform our prisons but anyone who has an interest in stopping the waste of our tax dollars, anyone who is against paying more and more and more money just to house 'the scum of the earth' really should wake up and realize that their hard earned money is being siphoned out of state coffers and into the pockets of corporations who ultimately make our country more dangerous. 

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Correctional News

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation awarded GEO Group Inc. the contract for nearly 2,600 additional beds in out-of-state facilities, according to the CDCR. Also getting play from California is Corrections Corp. of America, with an offer in the works from CDCR to take on additional beds that are not currently under contract. The total of new beds in the new contracts could surpass 5,000, according to reports.

Nearly 2,600 California inmates contracted to GEO Group will be transferred to the company’s North Lake Correctional Facility in Michigan, according to a company statement. GEO Group expects revenues from the transfers to generate $60 million in annualized

Misconception Vs Reality

For well over two years now I have dedicated the majority of my life and my time to fighting for prison reform in the USA. I’ve written numerous articles highlighting the various ways our system is broken and I’ve tried to raise public awareness on privatized prisons, unjust laws and even more unjust convictions and executions. I spend a part of nearly every day helping prisoners directly by answering requests for information and indirectly by advocating for better conditions for our prisoners.

I understand full well that this cause is not a popular one. Who wants to save a prisoner when they can save a puppy or kitten? I get it, I do. Prisoners don’t exactly evoke the warm fuzzies in people’s hearts. What I don’t get is the people who make quick assumptions not only about prisoners but about the work I do.

I get accused quite often of asking people to “cry crocodile tears” for prisoners. I also get accused of thinking we can give the prisoners a teddy bear and a hug and fix everything. I’ve received hateful emails wishing that all of the prisoners I’d like to release from death row pay me and my family a visit and do us harm. It’s been assumed I want all prisons abolished. I’ve been called a bleeding heart liberal, which would be funny if it weren’t so wrong and insulting. In short, I take all kinds of flak for doing what I do and to some degree, I expect it. I do get tired of it though. I am treated with more respect from these “horrible monster” prisoners than I do from many people in the free world who find out that I work with and help prisoners.

I’d like to set the record straight about why it is that I do the work I do, once and for all. I’d like to clear up all of the wrongful assumptions people might have.