Here's Why Abolishing Private Prisons Isn't a Silver Bullet
The vast majority of prisoners are held in publicly run prisons. But the private sector affects their incarceration in different ways.
Democratic candidates for president are fed up with the American criminal justice system, and private prisons are a favorite culprit. Cory Booker called them “repugnant.” Bernie Sanders wrote that the industry has “racist roots in American chattel slavery.” Elizabeth Warren released a plan to ban private prisons and detention facilities and to prohibit contractors from charging for an array of services including phone calls, bank transfers, health care, and probation services. Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor who has faced criticism of her criminal justice , “phasing out detention centers and private prisons” would be one of her first acts as president.
