Submitted by David E. Geiger, MEE, PE (retired)
(Note: The following article comes from the John Jay College Institute for Justice and Opportunity's monthly mailing, Several years ago, I believe it was, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer moved to no longer invest NYC money into private prisons. One of his reasons was that it was immoral. This is how far we have come.)
On January 26th, 2021, President Biden signed an executive order banning the Department of Justice from renewing contracts with private prisons, a President Obama-era policy reversed under President Trump. While this is an important step forward, it will only impact 11 private federal prisons. This executive order will not have any impact on facilities contracted by ICE, which detains 81% of people in facilities that are privately owned or managed. Further, it will have no impact on state contracts with private prisons, which incarcerate roughly 7% of all incarcerated individuals.
The first for-profit prison was established in Tennessee in 1984, before that they did not exist. Private prisons are notorious for having more safety and security incidents per capita, as well as higher rates of violence both between incarcerated individuals and staff. On top of that, private prison employees earn considerably less each year and receive 58 hours less of training.
Private prisons are only one small part of mass incarceration in the US; however, private industries do continue to profit off of prisons — from prison food and health services to telecom and commissary businesses. Profiting off of incarceration drives people and families into debt — for example, a call from a New York jail can cost $9.95 for 15 minutes.
We commend President Biden's actions to reduce capitalization from mass incarceration and its profound impact on our already marginalized communities, but there is more work to be done, including extending these limitations to state systems, addressing the root causes of mass incarceration, and ensuring that those with conviction histories are not excluded from access to opportunities and do not face perpetual punishment.
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David Geiger is a retired licensed and awarded electrical engineer who spent 7 years in psychiatric hospitals and over 40 years since 1979 in the courts as a result of his schizophrenia.