Back in August 2010 when the VDT first brought this story to light, I pointed out that CCA is the same company that lobbied heavily for Arizona’s new immigration law so CCA could get more customers. And I wondered what VLCIA thought about this? Silly question: of course they’re all for it! It’s “jobs, jobs, jobs” with them.
As of 21 December 2010,
apparently things were still pretty tentative
when Brad Lofton gave an update to the VLCIA board,
claiming the CCA private prison would bring 600 jobs to Lowndes County, Georgia:
Norman Bennett, Roy Copeland, Gary Minchew, Mary Gooding, Jerry Jennett chairman,
J. Stephen Gupton attorney, Brad Lofton Executive Director, Allan Ricketts Program Manager,
21 December 2010
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Some public objection had surfaced by 20 January 2010, when Dr. Mark George remarked to the Valdosta City Council:
Next, we’ll see if objections had any effect on the Industrial Authority.“I think we can do better than a generator that burns human waste. I think we can do better than a private prison and those are two things that we seem to be excited about as a community.”
-jsq
Short Link:
another stupid idea . . . what we’ll see is a roundup of immigrants so that the prison can reap big profits. lowndes county can’t seem to escape the middle ages . . . pathetically uneducated and unimaginative “leaders” . . .
Former Governor Sonny Perdue appointed Lowndes County Commission Chairman Ashley Paulk to the Georgia Department of Corrections. I’m sure there is a cozy relationship between several public officials and private lobbyists here in Georgia, the same way NPR uncovered connections in Arizona.
There will be no incentive for rehabilitation or for empty beds in a private prison. Private prisons in North Carolina have put furniture companies out of business because it’s impossible to pay a decent wage when the state is paying prisoners $1 a day to build furniture.
NAACP is opposed to prison privatization.