Grassroots Leadership Blog

Will CCA punish Vermont for progress? Even in the face of penalties, VT Corrections Commissioner brings prisoners home

January 15, 2015 by Holly Kirby

On Monday, Vtdigger reported that this week the number of Vermonters incarcerated out-of-state will drop to the lowest number in a decade, with Vermont officials slowly bringing prisoners home from a Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) prison in Kentucky. Read more about Will CCA punish Vermont for progress? Even in the face of penalties, VT Corrections Commissioner brings prisoners home

Humpday Hall of Shame: CCA, put your money where your flimsy PR campaign is

January 14, 2015 by Kymberlie Quong Charles

In a September 2014 press release Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) CEO Damon Hininger stated, “We are determined to prove that we can play a leadership role in reducing recidivism and that we have every incentive to do so. The interests of government, taxpayers, shareholders, and communities are aligned. We all just need to recognize that and commit to that.”  The media framed this apparent sea change for the largest private for-profit prison company as sound reaction to the realities of incarceration and recidivism; that reincarceration is costly, largely because rates of recidivism remain high.  Recent studies have found that recidivism is higher than average at privately operated prisons.

At Grassroots Leadership we know that investing in re-entry and rehabilitation is a key component to driving down rates of incarceration, but we weren’t so quick to applaud what seemed to us a dubious announcement by CCA.  How is it that an industry that relies on ever-increasing numbers of people behind (their) bars could stay in business if it’s suddenly going to invest in getting and keeping people out?  The plain and simple answer is that it can’t, unless it changes its business model.  

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Confronting the border

January 8, 2015 by Emma J. Randles

In mid-October I had the good fortune to be invited on a trip to the border of Texas and Mexico. I was auditing a class at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary called, “The Church, The Borderlands, and The Public Good”—all themes that I wrestle with as I learn more about immigration issues during this year of service for my church.

So far, I had felt connected to the work I'm doing here at Grassroots Leadership, and grounded in the knowledge that I am effecting systemic and individual change. The day I started was the day we started the campaign to get Sara and Nayely released from Karnes. Then I met Sara and Nayely when I took them to the hospital for an appointment. When I visited Hutto I met another woman who has been severely affected by the violence in Central America, and the subsequent violence of being locked in a prison in the country she fled to—the United States. Going to the border in October made the work that I do on the immigration team at Grassroots Leadership feel more realistic. 

 

Panoramic view of the bridge between Mexico and the U.S.
The view of the bridge between Mexico and the U.S.

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Help Grow Grassroots Leadership in 2015!

December 30, 2014 by Bob Libal

At Grassroots Leadership, we believe no one should profit from the incarceration of human beings. Every day, we confront a for-profit prison system that spends millions of dollars to ensure a steady stream of people fill their prisons and detention centers.  

With your help, we are able to make an impact even against this well-funded opposition.  Our hard-working staff, board, volunteers, allies, and donors organize for policies that reduce our nation's tragic reliance on incarceration and fight to end the profit motive in our criminal justice, immigration detention, and treatment systems.  

Thank you for all your support of Grassroots Leadership.  Our work would not be possible without you.  

Please considering making a year-end donation today towards our work.   You can also mail a donation to Grassroots Leadership, PO Box 36006, Charlotte, NC, 28236. 

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UNBELIEVABLE: Private prison corporation opening new family detention center accidentally tear-gassed children at S. Texas school

December 14, 2014 by Bob Libal

Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the same for-profit prison corporation opening a controversial new detention center for refugee families this week in Dilley, Texas, accidentally tear-gassed children last week at a South Texas middle school near another one of its prisons. Read more about UNBELIEVABLE: Private prison corporation opening new family detention center accidentally tear-gassed children at S. Texas school

Race, Space & Place: How the Reinforcement of White-Normativity and The Racialized Other Impacts U.S. Immigration Perceptions, Policy and Detention

December 5, 2014 by Ashley C. Rivera

When analyzing contemporary socio-economic and political issues, it is important to address the histories that shape mainstream national ideologies. Once adopted, these histories highly influence policies relevant to the nation as a whole. Thus, within this blog series I will highlight some of the often ignored historical influences that have guided popular national perceptions of race, space and place. Read more about Race, Space & Place: How the Reinforcement of White-Normativity and The Racialized Other Impacts U.S. Immigration Perceptions, Policy and Detention

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