CoreCivic, formerly known as CCA, is one of the most important players in the private prison industry. The GEO Group is another. Companies like these have made a name for themselves finding ways to lock people up. The worst part is, Black America has a giant target on our backs.
CoreCivic went public in 1986. A year later in 1987, the GEO Group got its first federal contract. They’ve been doing business ever since. Together these two companies account for 80% of the private prison industry, and activists have long been trying to shut them down.
Private prisons make money off of incarceration, so they need people to get locked up in order to turn a profit. The private prison industry has taken an active role in organizations lobbying for harsh laws that increase incarceration by targeting Black people. This is how they plot!
The private prison industry was a part of the efforts that brought us mandatory minimum sentences, anti-immigrant laws, and “three strikes” law, all of which target Black people for lengthy sentences. Reformers are still working to this day to fight these anti-Black policies.
The number of people in private prisons has gone up almost 40% since the year 2000. The industry has seen its fair share of ups and downs in recent years, but it’s still thriving. We have to make sure we know what their agenda is because Black America pays for it in more ways than one.