Private Prisons Buy Politicos
Florida Governor Rick Scott has been a huge proponent of privatizing the state’s prisons. He’s had a rough time, but is not giving up.
Victoria Law on the website Truthout, asks the following: “What do private prisons have to do with political elections?”
Well for starters, according to Law’s article:
California Gov. Jerry Brown received $54,000 for his reelection campaign from GEO Group, the country’s second largest private prison company. Corrections Corporation of America, the country’s largest private prison provider, runs the Idaho Correctional Center, the state’s largest prison, when it opened in 2000. CCA also contributed $20,000 to Idaho Governor Bruce Otter’s campaign since 2003.
Over the years, story after story of the violence inside the Idaho Correctional Center emerged. The prison, which was dubbed “Gladiator School,” has been the subject of multiple lawsuits around the widespread brutality and violence, much of which was deliberately allowed by prison staff as a management tool.
In January 2014, the state opted not to renew its contract. Although Governor Otter recently stated that he recused himself from the settlement negotiations, top members of his staff did not, agreeing on terms that heavily favored CCA. CCA, which received $29 million per year under the contract, settled with the state for only $1 million for the unworked staff hours. The settlement states that all staffing disputes are “fully, forever, irrevocably and unconditionally” settled. In March, the FBI began an investigation, but the terms of the settlement prevent the state from pursuing civil penalties against the corporation.
Otter is not the only politician whose campaign coffers benefited from private prison industries. There’s more. If you are interested in the complexities of the effort to privatize government functions like corrections: READ MORE.
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