Private prison industry helped draft Arizona immigration law

[tpsbmam]

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Corporations and interest groups like R.J. Reynolds, ExxonMobil, the NRA, and the Corrections Corporation of America host a regular conference for state legislators in DC. At last December's conference, the Corrections Corporation of America and Arizona state Senator Russell Pearce drafted the bill that eventually became the Arizona law.

And this bill was an important one for the company. According to Corrections Corporation of America reports reviewed by NPR, executives believe immigrant detention is their next big market. Last year, they wrote that they expect to bring in "a significant portion of our revenues" from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency that detains illegal immigrants.

They're open about how they make their laws -- this is the standard practice:

Asked if the private companies usually get to write model bills for the legislators, Hough said, "Yeah, that's the way it's set up. It's a public-private partnership. We believe both sides, businesses and lawmakers should be at the same table, together."

When Pearce introduced his bill the next month, he immediately got 36 co-sponsors. The prison company hired a lobbyist. 30 of the co-sponsors began receiving campaign donations from prison companies and lobbyists.

Ah, our future is looking so bright and beautiful!! The health insurance industry guides the writing of our health insurance laws, the private prison industry comes up with new ways to incarcerate us so they can get richer (next: debtors prisons)......I can't wait for social security to go private -- it'll be such a boon to.....well, you know. :sarcasm:

More at Salon: http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/10/28/prison_industry_arizona_law/

(Edit: typo & add link)

[blindpig]

1. That's what I call 'due diligence'

getting every nickel for the share holders.