Private Prisons

Fault Lines: Punishment and Profits: Immigration Detention

The detention and deportation of immigrants has reached an all-time high under the Obama administration. Fault Lines investigates the business of immigrant detention and finds out how a few companies are shaping US immigration laws.

Private Prisons: The Public's Problem, Supporting Materials

To support our claims and aid future research AFSC is making as much of the supporting documentation for Private Prisons: The Public's Problem available for download.

Private Prisons: The Public's Problem

A quality assessment of Arizona’s Private Prisons

Arizona has enthusiastically embraced prison privatization, with 13% of the state prison population housed in private facilities (the 11th highest percentage in the nation). Motivated by a belief that private enterprise could build and manage prisons safely and at lower cost than the state, the legislature has mandated construction of thousands of private prison beds. Little was done over the years to test actual performance of private prisons or to determine their cost effectiveness.

The complete report is 105 pages.

application/pdf iconAFSC_Arizona_Prison_Report.pdf

AZ Department of Corrections drops plans for 5,000 new private prison beds

Private prison opponents applaud Arizona DOC decision to drop bid for private prison beds; opponents criticize state's private prison report along with new proposal for 2,000 prison beds.

Arizona Prison Report

February 15, 2012 the American Friends Services Committee’s Arizona office released an extensive report reviewing the safety, quality, and cost of private prisons in Arizona – including six prisons operated by Corrections Corporation of America but not under contract with the state. The report reveals widespread and persistent problems in private facilities around safety, lack of accountability, and cost.

Righting the Wrongs of Injustice

Prison Overcrowding

Prison Overcrowding

Overcrowding in Califonria Prisons.

For decades, the American Friends Service Committee has worked with immigrants and prisoners in this nation, highlighting the often malicious treatment they face. In 2011, the private prison industry advocated for increasing detentions in many states. AFSC’s research has shown that private prisons have little accountability and poor safety conditions. We oppose profiting off human misery, and have worked to improve prison conditions and reduce the number of people detained.

 

 

Request for an Expedited Ruling

We requested an expedited ruling on our injunction because the DOC had said they might award the contracts as early as November 22.

application/pdf iconAFSC - Request for Expedited Ruling on IPA.pdf

Motion for Injunction Pending Appeal

This document asks the Court to stop the Department of Corrections from awarding the contracts for new private prisons while our appeal is pending.  We don’t know when the appeal will be heard.  Since the whole point of our suit is to halt the contracts, it would be fruitless if the DOC signed contracts before we got our ‘day in court’ for the appeal.

application/pdf iconAFSC - Motion for Injunction Pending Appeal.pdf

Notice of Appeal

The Notice of Appeal transfers jurisdiction from the trial court (which dismissed our original suit) to the appeals court, and signals the clerk to transcribe all the recordings of court proceedings to transmit to the appeals court.

application/pdf iconAFSC - Notice of Appeal.pdf

Who we are

AFSC is a Quaker organization devoted to service, development, and peace programs throughout the world. Our work is based on the belief in the worth of every person, and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice. Learn more

Where we work

AFSC has office around the world. To see a complete list see the Where We Work page.

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