private prisons

DOJ Investigation Found Horrors in Georgia Prisons. It Missed a Lot, Too.

Four years after the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division opened an investigation into the whether the Georgia Department of…

October 3, 2024

Everyone in Prison Needs a Hustle. For a Small Fee, I’ll Help You Find Yours.

When you enter the men's prison system in Tennessee, you receive two blue, smock-like shirts and two matching pairs of…

September 9, 2024

“Like Two Cavalries”: After TN Prison Standoff, Fear of What Comes Next

On the evening of July 24, South Central Correctional Facility, a medium-security private prison in Tennessee, gave notice that 128…

July 29, 2024

CoreCivic Manages Our Prison, and Tries Not to Manage Our Medical Care

Five years ago, abdominal pain drove James to the infirmary at South Central Correctional Facility, the Tennessee private prison where…

May 1, 2024

TN Private Prisons Quietly Transfer Us, This Time Without Saying Why

In 2016, the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) opened Trousdale Turner Correctional Center—the largest of the state's 14 prisons, and…

April 17, 2024

When You Need to Go to a Hospital, and Private Prison Says You Don’t

Let’s say you’re incarcerated and have a heart condition. You’re supposed to be see a cardiologist every six months, but…

April 10, 2024

The Private Prisons Industry Is Changing What Constitutes “Food”

Prisoners in solitary confinement are often served something called Nutraloaf. Imagine taking all the old crap from the back of…

April 4, 2024

In Brazil, New Era of Private Prisons as Feds Auction Contracts to Build Them

On October 6 in Rio Grande do Sul, the government of Brazil held the first auction for a public-private partnership…

October 26, 2023

As Illinois Terminates Its ICE Contracts, an Indiana County Angles to Sweep Up Detainees—and Profits

In August, the state of Illinois agreed to end immigrant detention and restrict the capacity of United States Immigration and…

October 19, 2021

Why Private Prisons Are Spending a Fortune on 2020 Republican Candidates

Private prisons are determined to make their voices heard in the 2020 election cycle. The industry has now spent $2.1…

October 14, 2020