Every year, private prison and other corrections companies spend millions of dollars influencing public officials. For example, in 2014 alone, the two largest private prison companies in the U.S., Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and GEO Group, spent at least $5.9 million on lobbying and contributions to campaigns.
Whether advocating for legislation that benefits their business models, making campaign contributions to candidates, or seeking new contracts, private prison companies’ government-relations arms aim to expand the role the companies play in America’s criminal justice system.
Buying Influence outlines the various ways corrections companies influence public officials, increasing their grip on the criminal justice system.
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This fact sheet was released as part of Programs Not Profits, a multi-year campaign that promotes replacing private profits that hurt incarcerated people, correctional officers, and taxpayers, with publicly funded and managed programs that provide job training, mental health care, and substance abuse treatment.
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