More than 130 people packed the Public Hearing at Pima Community College’s Downtown Campus last night for the first ever hearings on prison privatization in Arizona.  Exceeding all expectations for this event, the crowd listened intently throughout the two hour hearing to both presenters and the public comment.  Sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and Private Corrections Working Group, this public hearing was the first of a series of three planned throughout the state.  Not surprisingly, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), Management and Training Corporation (MTC), and the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) sent no official representatives to the hearing though they were repeatedly invited.

Stephen Nathan, the Editor of Prison Privatisation Report International and all the way from London, England for this public hearing, started the evening off with his expert testimony on the failure of private prisons throughout the world.  Representative Nancy Young-Wright reminded the standing room only crowd that Arizona had recently accomplished some very dubious distinctions – specifically that “Arizona is now second in the US for poverty, 50th in spending on education for public school students, and fourth in the nation on our prison costs,” and thus placed the focus on the (in)ability of private prisons to educate and rehabilitate prisoners while incarcerated.  Later, Tucson City Councilman Steve Kovachik raised the question as to whether incarceration – public or private – is the best way to respond to crime in the first place, citing alternatives to prison that have been used in other states.

The conveners of the hearing were Representative Phil Lopes, Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias, Assistant Tucson City Manager Richard Miranda, Tucson City Councilman Steve Kovachik, Representative Nancy Young-Wright, and former Tucson Citizen Editor Mark Kimble.  Other speakers of note were Victoria Lopez from the ACLU of Arizona, Susan Maurer formerly of the New Jersey Corrections Department, and Jim Sanders.  Soon we will have video of the highlights from the hearing, but for now we have an assortment of photos from last night.  Thanks to all who showed up and participated last night!  It was a tremendous success.  Press release here.

Slide 1 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - Mari Herreras
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 2 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - media
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 3 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - Stephen Nathan
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 4 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - AFSC
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 5 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - Susan Maurer
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 6 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - Steve Kozachik
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 7 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - crowd
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 8 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - Mark Kimble
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 9 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - Jim Sanders
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 10 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - public comment
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 11 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - public comment
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 12 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - crowd
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 13 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - public comment
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 14 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - public comment
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 15 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - public comment
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 16 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - ADC empty chair
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 17 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - Phil Lopes
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 18 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - Richard Elias
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 19 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - MTC empty chair
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSCSlide 20 of 20.
Tucson Public Hearing - CCA empty chair
Source: Matthew Lowen/AFSC

Nick Oza/The Arizona Republic

At the City Council meeting Tuesday (10/19/10), Council Member Steve Kozachik initiated a very thoughtful discussion about the high cost of jail incarceration and what the City might do to bring jail costs down while promoting better public safety outcomes.

High points included an excellent presentation from Adult Probation on the use of Evidence-Based Practices in sentencing, Council Member Ulich’s suggestion to bring together a collaborative planning body that could iron out differences between the City and County, and Council Member Romero’s heartfelt plea that the discussion not overlook the importance of alternative courts, such as the Veteran’s Court.

Unfortunately, one of the options placed on the table by TPD’s Assistant Chief John Leavitt was a “Private Prison RFQ.”

Apparently, this had been under serious discussion in the past, in this case, the management of a DUI facility (a favorite gateway drug for the for-profits).  The fly in the ointment at the time was the fact that the private operator wanted a gender-segregated facility for men only.  Women are simply too expensive to incarcerate, and for-profit prisons rarely take them.

While Leavitt acknowledged the for-profit’s propensity to cherry pick, he still touted the projected cost savings such a facility could generate.

We would suggest that our friends at the City Council talk with their counterparts in Brooksville, Florida.  They recently took the Hernando County Jail back from Corrections Corporation of America, because they discovered that the county could run it more cheaply. (more…)