Last week, Brianna explained many of the reasons that bringing private prisons to Maine is a bad idea. Unfortunately though, allowing CCA to move a facility to Milo is being discussed as a serious option.
To recap, private prisons are supposed to save taxpayer money and create jobs. In Arizona and other states, CCA has already established facilities; this article in the Economist explains how it hasn’t really worked out as planned. Currently, Maine has a law that forbids for-profit prisons and keeps our out-of-state prisoners in federally funded facilities. We demand oversight over and accountability for our prisons, their staff, and the prisoners. Allowing CCA to come to Maine would mean overturning that law.
Recently a group of former CCA inmates, along with their families and loved ones, banded together and bought stock in the company. This group, Strength to Love, succinctly explained the problem at a shareholders meeting:
“The privatized, for-profit prison industry is particularly plagued by a conflict of interest at its core: On the one hand, the industry is responsible to its shareholders to make money, and its income is determined by how many beds are filled. On the other hand, its civil responsibility to the inmates and to the whole of society is to help incarcerated people become their intended selves, and to prepare them to succeed upon release. It is well established that services and programs like job training and education serve to lower the occurrence of re-offense. But it is better for the company’s bottom line to minimize staff and services, let the inmates succeed or fail on their own terms, and reap the financial benefits of strict sentencing laws and high rates of recidivism.”
Now private prisons could be coming to Maine. The ACLU of MAINE has spoken out against this prospect and today the Bangor Daily News joined us with their editorial on why there are better choices for our prisoners and our state.