A consensus is growing that is truly unprecedented. More and more Americans—including leaders from both political parties—agree that mass incarceration is neither cost-effective for taxpayers nor safe for our communities.
But the private corrections industry, made up of companies that make more profit when more people are in the system, is an obstacle to change. For-profit private prison operators, like Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and GEO Group, and companies that work in industries such as health care, telecommunications, and prisoner banking, have grown to provide an increased number of services to America’s correctional facilities.