I spent most of the day in downtown Tucson, and checked out the musem. I heard that several NMDers and other groups will be having a protest outside a bank. Those who know me know that protests and I kind of have this funny way of running into each other so I went out of curiousity.
I learned from the hundred or so people who gathered there, of all ethnicities but all united in voicing their opinion, against the American government subletting prisons to private firms. The biggest ones in Arizona are Geogroup and Corrections Corporation of America. They are paid by the government to run prisons. Unlike elected officials, they not accountable to the public. According to the organizers, there are only two privately owned prisons in Arizona, although there is talk of subletting more jails to private security firms.
The private prisons make up a small percentage of prisons in the state, but most of the people pass through them are migrants. Many are arrested in sweeps of restaurants and other businesses where they work without a permit, and they are dumped into these places and held there until they are deported. There have been allegations of abuses happening in these places.
Many Americans are concerned about the fact that jails are being turned to private contractors. Some claim that groups like Corrections Corporation of America and Geogroup encourage law makers to pass further laws criminalizing migrants, since the more prisoners they get the more money they make.
I do not know all the facts and this is an issue I haven’t researched much. I have to say that I do find the idea of private companies running prisons to be quite disturbing. Firstly, because unlike government officials, a company does not have to answer to the public. Secondly, if someone is profiting from the existence of prisons, I would question whether their goals are to reduce crime and hence the need for them or would it be a better idea to keep them nice and full.
Some of the people I talked to are advocating the idea of prisons not existing at all. I have to say I strongly disagree with such an idea. I think prisons are necessary to incarcerate and whenever possible rehabilitate people whose actions harm others in society. During my experiences of teaching and doing practicums in various schools I have worked with some kids who were survivors of sometimes unspeakable horrors perpetrated against them by adults, often people they knew. In some cases they are so psychologically scarred I don’t know how or when will they recover. Adults who are capable of committing cruelties against children or other adults I believe should be separated from society and incarcerated until it can be shown they will not commit such atrocities again. I think that in some cases, if no remorse and signs are shown that the person will not reoffend, they should not be allowed to leave.
Revelation says that in heaven, every tear will be wiped away and there will be no more suffering. I look forward to a world like that but we are not in heaven yet. It is however our duty to work for God’s Kingdom on earth and that should work to work to prevent conditions that turn many towards crime (poverty, racism, media that glorifies violence and materialism, spiritual decay).
At the same time, it is also true that most people who do leave prisons offend again. It is also true that some people who are locked up for ‘minor crimes’ like vandalism who could perhaps be made to rebuild, repaint or earn enough money to pay for the property they damaged are put into a situation where they are among hardened criminals and are forced to join a gang inside the pen, so when they leave they leave more violent. I would agree there needs to be reform in some way. It is also important to examine the causes why people commit crime. I don’t think running a prison industry is the answer. I also don’t believe that people who are working for minimum wage or less to feed hungry families back home belong there.
Wells Fargo invests in CCA and Geogroup, and the people who gathered to protest were calling for the institution to stop financing private jails. A couple and a young woman actually walked into the bank and withdrew their savings from it. I found it impressive, that is literally putting one’s money where one’s mouth is. I don’t know too much else about the situation but it is worth exploring and learning about more.
There was a police presence but the rally went well. We were asked a few times to move to a more limited part of the sidewalk and people complied readily. No one was using demeaning or insulting language towards the police, and they weren’t pushing anyone around. This is something that maybe some people in Vancouver and Winnipeg can take lesson from.
BTW to all of my fellow Canucks out there reading this, HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!
A website I found with some information about CCA and Geo Group: http://www.businessofdetention.com/?tag=geo-group
Geo Group’s website: http://www.thegeogroupinc.com/about.asp
Corrections Corporation of America: http://www.cca.com/
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