Blumenthal Commends DOJ Action to Reduce Use of Private Prisons

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement commending steps announced by the Department of Justice (DOJ) today to reduce the use of private – or contract – prison facilities. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) currently contracts with 13 privately run facilities, which do not provide the same level of services as BOP facilities, do not save on costs, and do not maintain the same level of safety and security. Today, DOJ announced that it will end the housing of inmates at three or more private facilities over the next year, reducing the total private prison population by more than half since 2013.

“The evidence is clear: private prisons are less secure, less safe, and less humane. By failing to rehabilitate inmates and prepare them to reenter society, prisons-for-profit contribute to increased recidivism and crime, drain taxpayer resources, and undermine the security of our communities. I applaud the Justice Department for taking this important step to end a policy that has put private profits ahead of public safety for far too long.

But reducing our reliance on contract prisons is only one piece of the puzzle. The comprehensive criminal justice reform legislation approved overwhelmingly by the Senate Judiciary Committee would address the major root causes of overcrowding in our federal correctional system that led to the use of private prisons in the first place. Sentencing reform is one of the foremost civil rights issues of our time, and it cannot wait.” 

###