Arizona's Private Prisons: A Bad Bargain
Sasha Abramsky
Arizona’s privatization schemes have become wackier in the face of recession budget woes. Legislators have sold off and then leased back the State Capitol building and pushed for the wholesale privatization of the prison system. The industry, however, is not interested. Private prisons profit only when they can cherry-pick the inmates—setting the conditions for those they’ll accept and rejecting violent or seriously ill inmates—and can make the state cover the hidden costs of running a prison, such as training drug-sniffing dogs and processing release paperwork.
http://www.thenation.com/article/167216/arizonas-private-prisons-bad-bargainClaims about the cost-effectiveness of private prisons are an illusion. As the AFSC report makes clear, private prisons cost as much as, if not more than, state-run facilities; they endanger public safety; and they result in a worrying level of inmate-on-inmate and inmate-staff violence. Instead of privatizing basic public services in an attempt to maintain incarceration rates without the tax base to support them, states like Arizona should have a sensible discussion about how best to reduce their stunningly high inmate population. It would be the fiscally prudent approach. It would also be the most ethical solution to America’s incarceration problem. Take Action! Tell our legislative leaders WE WANT THE FACTS!
Ask them to repeal the language in the FY2013 Criminal Justice budget reconciliation bills (HB2860/SB1531) that would eliminate the requirement to review the cost and quality of private prisons. CALL TODAY!
House Speaker, Andy Tobin, atobin@azleg.gov; (602) 926-5172
Senate President, Steve Pierce; spierce@azleg.gov, (620) 926-5584Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. John Kavanagh, jkavanagh@azleg.gov; (602) 926-5170
Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Don Shooter; dshooter@azleg.gov ; (602) 926-4139
Private Prisons in Arizona Need Oversight and Accountability Because:
•Arizona taxpayers are shelling out millions for private prisons every year. We deserve to know what kind of return we’re getting on our investment.•Private prisons are performing a core government function and doing it on the taxpayer’s dime.
•Prisons are fundamentally about public safety. Our communities should be assured that these facilities are safe, and the public should be notified when there are incidents like escapes or riots.
**If you can blind copy or cc us, we will have a better idea how effective this initiative is. If you receive responses, even boiler-plate ones, please forward those to us, if possible.
Caroline Isaacs,
Program Director,
American Friends Service Committee, Arizona Area Program
103 N. Park Ave., Ste. 111
Tucson, AZ 85719
520.623.9141
www.afsc.org/tucson
Sasha Abramsky
Arizona’s privatization schemes have become wackier in the face of recession budget woes. Legislators have sold off and then leased back the State Capitol building and pushed for the wholesale privatization of the prison system. The industry, however, is not interested. Private prisons profit only when they can cherry-pick the inmates—setting the conditions for those they’ll accept and rejecting violent or seriously ill inmates—and can make the state cover the hidden costs of running a prison, such as training drug-sniffing dogs and processing release paperwork.
Ask them to repeal the language in the FY2013 Criminal Justice budget reconciliation bills (HB2860/SB1531) that would eliminate the requirement to review the cost and quality of private prisons. CALL TODAY!
House Speaker, Andy Tobin, atobin@azleg.gov; (602) 926-5172
Senate President, Steve Pierce; spierce@azleg.gov, (620) 926-5584Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. John Kavanagh, jkavanagh@azleg.gov; (602) 926-5170
Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Don Shooter; dshooter@azleg.gov ; (602) 926-4139
Private Prisons in Arizona Need Oversight and Accountability Because:
•Arizona taxpayers are shelling out millions for private prisons every year. We deserve to know what kind of return we’re getting on our investment.•Private prisons are performing a core government function and doing it on the taxpayer’s dime.
•Prisons are fundamentally about public safety. Our communities should be assured that these facilities are safe, and the public should be notified when there are incidents like escapes or riots.
**If you can blind copy or cc us, we will have a better idea how effective this initiative is. If you receive responses, even boiler-plate ones, please forward those to us, if possible.
Caroline Isaacs,
Program Director,
American Friends Service Committee, Arizona Area Program
103 N. Park Ave., Ste. 111
Tucson, AZ 85719
520.623.9141
www.afsc.org/tucson
