Congressional Briefing: "Banking on Bondage: Private Prisons & Mass Incarceration"

Thu, 2012-02-23 15:00 - 17:00

Sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union

There are currently over 2.2 million people incarcerated in local jails or in state or federal prisons in the United States.  This mass imprisonment of human beings is both a moral failure and an economic one – especially at a time when more and more Americans are struggling to make ends meet and when state governments confront enormous fiscal crises.  Private prisons house approximately 16% of all federal prisoners and nearly half of all immigration detainees. Although supporters of private prisons tout the idea that governments can save money through private facilities, the evidence for supposed cost savings is mixed at best.
 
Welcome Remarks by

• David Fathi, Director, American Civil Liberties Union, National Prison Project (Moderator)

Panelists

• Bill Mefford, Director, Civil and Human Rights, General Board of Church and Society, The United Methodist Church
• Joshua Miller, Labor Economist, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
• David Shapiro, Staff Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union, National Prison Project
• Tracy Velázquez, Executive Director, Justice Policy Institute