13,
February 2016 Private
Prisons
A
shocking new report released by the Nation has revealed dozens of men have died
in extremely disturbing circumstances inside private prisons. Sifting through
9,000 pages of medical records, uncovered the death of 100 detainees since
1998. Independent doctors estimated that more than two dozen premature deaths
occurred because of inadequate medical care. One man died shackled to his bed
from a HIV infection; others died from untreated cancer and liver diseases.
Traumatized by a lack of medical care drove others to suicide.
These
private prisons house non-citizens with fewer facilities and poorly trained
personnel. There has been an astronomical jump in the incarceration of
non-citizens. In the early 90’s, 4,000 were criminally prosecuted; by 2013 the
number jumped to 91,000. Many languish in these prisons for many years which
generates tens of millions of dollars of additional revenue. These prisons are
separate from ICE (Immigration, Customs, and Enforcement) detention centers
that oversees immigration detention. 23,000 noncitizens are detained in these
centers.
Private
companies, such as the GEO Group and the Corrections Corporation of America,
continue to lobby aggressively to obtain locative contracts with the Federal
Bureau of Prisons.
Under
pressure from Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton said she would no longer accept
money from private prison companies and would donate the money she has received
to charity.
The
report screams of the necessity of massive prison reforms.
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