How crazy is it to build things with public money then turn them over to profiteers?
Over the years, Walnut Grove, located about 65 miles northeast of Jackson, generated more than $100 million in revenue for the companies that operated it. Built with $41 million in taxpayer funds in 2001 and operated at a cost of more than $14 million per year, the facility came under private management in 2003 and then changed hands among several for-profit prison companies. In 2010, the GEO Group purchased Cornell Companies Inc., the prison’s operator since 2003; in 2012, MTC took over management from GEO Group.
I decided years ago that the best thing my contributions could go toward was fighting injustice in America, so all my donations go to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which regularly closes down hate groups and other bad actors. Go read for yourself:
“Maintaining these facilities benefits no one other than for-profit prison operators,” the SPLC’s Owens told the Clarion-Ledger at the time. “We urge state officials to take a closer look at other prisons for closure.”
Here’s a link to donate