Tuesday, September 16, 2003

Police unions to fight prison privatization (Florida)
News-Press story - "Florida’s police officers and prison guards are fighting off advances by the for-profit prison industry, seeking a constitutional amendment that would keep government in control of state penitentiaries and county jails. ... The Florida Police Benevolent Association...launched a petition drive for the amendment after privatization lobbyists convinced Gov. Jeb Bush’s office last month to propose a privately built prison in Northwest Florida. ...The union’s efforts come as two private prison companies, Wackenhut and Corrections Corp. of America, renegotiate their existing Florida prison contracts." The story also notes that "Wackenhut, based in Boca Raton, operates prisons in Moore Haven and South Bay. The company, which has 21 percent of the nation’s corrections market, is expanding into holding centers for illegal immigrants and mental health institutions."