Yesterday, the state legislature approved a compromise budget they negotiated with the Governor. 

The budget agreement would:

• Fund 500 state-run maximum security prison beds we don’t need
• Fund 1,000 private prison beds we don’t need
• Pay for these prison beds by stealing $50 million from a mortgage settlement that was intended to provide relief for victims of the foreclosure crisis
• Remove the requirement to study the quality and cost of public vs. private prisons

In his defense of her “don’t bother me with the facts” decision, spokesman Matt Benson said the Governor believes the cost comparison and quality review is, “of little utility to us.”  Our Governor has just publicly stated that she has no use for facts if the facts stand in the way of her corporate backers’ agenda.

There could be no clearer proof that the legislature is putting the interests of their private prison pals ahead of kids, victims of the housing crisis, and the 99%. 

Consider the following: 

House Speaker Andy Tobin took in $5,990 in campaign contributions from individuals or groups associated with 6 different private prison corporations in 2009-2010 alone.  Keep in mind, the maximum individual contribution in Arizona in 2010 was $410 (this year it went up to $430).  The biggest spender was clearly GEO Group, whose lobbyists made 16 contributions worth $3,860.  He also got a hefty donation (the maximum allowed) by the MTC Political Action Committee.  MTC, you may recall, was responsible for the most spectacular prison break in recent memory, resulting in a two week multistate manhunt and the deaths of two people.   

John Kavanagh, Chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee (which basically drafts the budget), is also on the take.  In the 2010 election cycle, he took in campaign donations from six different individuals associated with private prison lobbying firms, most of them representing GEO Group.  For more information, see our previous post on Kavanagh’s private prison “appropriations.” 

And then there’s our Governor, who has distinguished the state of Arizona in so many ways, including her famous “senior moment” during a televised debate, wagging her bony finger at the President of the United States, and being the puppet of the private prison industry.  As Beau Hodai reported for In These Times, the Governor’s campaign manager is Chuck Coughlin, whose consulting firm Highground lobbies for Corrections Corporation of America.  Her previous Chief of Staff was Paul Senseman, himself a lobbyist for CCA before and after his stint in the Governor’s office.  His wife is also a CCA lobbyist, and was actively lobbying for them while her husband was working for the Gov.  The Arizona Republic has reported on the gobs of cash that CCA threw at the Governor and her pet projects during the 2010 election cycle.

Once you know who’s actually running the state government, it helps to explain the completely irrational behavior of the people who are supposed to be in charge.  Why else would they choose to build prisons we don’t need instead of helping to restore funding for critical state functions that people depend on, like education, health care, and social services?

The Department of Corrections, State Auditor General, and even the Governor have admitted that our prison population is declining.  In 2010 and 2011 we saw the lowest growth rates on record, and the trend is projected to continue.  In other words, we don’t need more prisons.  But private prison corporations need more contracts in order to pay their CEO’s, keep their shareholders happy, fund their lobbyists martinis, and reward their government stooges with fat campaign contributions.

Only catch is, our teeny-tiny surplus doesn’t quite cover the $60 million price tag for more prisons.  Solution?:  Steal the money from victims of the mortgage crisis!  That’s right, the legislature is going to raid the money from the mortgage settlement and put it in the General Fund to pay for prison beds, even though the money is supposed to be used for “state foreclosure prevention programs, Attorney General Office costs and fees, and to remediate the effects of the foreclosure and housing crisis in Arizona.” 

I suppose this applies if you consider one of the “effects of the foreclosure and housing crisis” is that the lobbyists for homebuilders have less cash to spend on legislators than the private prison lobbyists.  Plus, more jobs for the prison construction firms and people who lost their homes can get ‘three hots and a cot’ in a private prison! 

See, it all makes perfect sense once you understand where their priorities truly lie.

In this day and age, most of us can relate to the feeling that our elected officials aren’t really listening to us or acting in our best interests.  But here’s the story of a group of citizens who are actually going to do something about it. 

Citizens Opposed to Globe Becoming a Prison Town has been organizing against a proposed private prison there for almost a year now.  They are one of the most effective and organized yet truly grassroots groups out there.  They have packed City Council meetings with people speaking out against the prison and handed in thousands of signatures of Globe residents on a petition in opposition to the plan.  Yet their City Council and Economic Development Board have refused to listen. 

So they are going to put the democratic process to the test.  They’re going to put the prison up for a vote. 

They have two ballot initiatives in the works.  The first simply says that no new prison can be built in Globe without first being approved by residents through a public vote.  The second requires voter approval for any municipal resource to be spent or utilized for any new prison construction project within, or outside Globe’s jurisdictional boundaries.

It’s a simple concept, but revolutionary in today’s political environment, particularly where these kinds of prison development deals are concerned.  Given the scandals that have recently arisen regarding Arizona politicians on the take (Fiesta Bowl, anyone?) and influence-peddling by corporations in state government (two of the Governor’s top advisors have ties to Corrections Corporation of America), what happens when you put the people BACK in the equation?  What might we learn by exposing these ordinarily backroom deals to the light of day?

The people of Globe are about to find out.  And you can bet that the for-profit prison corporations will be watching very closely to see what happens, because if the people of Globe can do it, so can the people of Florence, or Eloy, or Tucson.  Score one for democracy.

You can read the group’s official press release here:

Public Information/Press Release                                        June 3, 2011

TWO Ballot Initiatives are being launched by Citizens of Globe, AZ who do not want their community to become another rural Arizona Prison Town.

These TWO Ballot Initiatives are closely related, but have distinct purposes.  (see attached)

The first Ballot Initiative is titled, VOTERS MUST APPROVE NEW PRISON IN GLOBE ACT.  It requires Voter approval for any new prison constructed within Globe’s City Limits.

The second Ballot Initiative is titled, NO CITY RESOURCE SPENT ON NEW PRISON ACT.   It requires Voter approval for any municipal resource to be spent or utilized for any new prison construction project within, or outside Globe’s jurisdictional boundaries.

Citizens have launched these TWO Ballot Initiatives because local elected officials refuse to pass a Resolution that would prohibit a 1000 to 2000 – bed proposed private prison from being constructed in the Globe community. 

Nearly a year ago, citizens began speaking out in opposition to a proposed private prison project.  More than 2,500 area residents signed a Declaration of Opposition to such a prison, and implored elected officials to pass a Resolution that would safeguard their community from the private prison ‘industry’.  These elected officials refused to act on behalf of their constituents.  Globe residents continue to ask, “If they don’t represent the citizens of this community, then who do they represent?”  

The Arizona Constitution provides for citizens to “Initiate”, or propose laws or measures that are enacted by a direct vote of the people.  The citizens of Globe are now taking action to accomplish what their elected representatives refused and failed to do. 

Citizens of Globe must gather 582 signatures to place these TWO Initiatives on the ballot at the City’s next regular election in March, 2012.  Registered Voters of Globe, Arizona will ultimately decide the outcome of this very important community issue.

The Committees organizing these TWO Ballot Initiative Campaigns are receiving legal counsel from the Phoenix Law Firm, Perkins Coie, LLP.  Attorney, Rhonda L. Barnes, can be reached at 602-351-8305 or RBarnes@perkinscoie.com.

Jim E. Moss, Committee Chairman

480-540-1279 or mossjim13@hotmail.com

Matthew Lowen/AFSC

Arizona Illustrated of Arizona Public Media, along with all the local network affiliates were present at the recent public hearing on prison privatization in Arizona last Wednesday evening.  The event was covered by all three local affiliates that night at 10:00.   Luis Carrión’s piece, “Private Prisons: Risks and Benefits”, aired last night (11/1/10), and gives a detailed description of the problem of privatization in the state of Arizona.  Here is a brief excerpt:

Today, Arizona houses twenty-three percent of its prisoners in private facilities, according to state data. Last year, lawmakers took the unprecedented step of exploring the privatization of almost the entire Arizona correctional system, narrowly failing to pass a bill that would have turned over the state’s prisons to private operators for an up-front payment of $100 million.

Bravo to Arizona Illustrated for their continued solid reporting.  For the full story and a well done video, please follow this link.

Well the elections are drawing ever closer and with them comes the pain of corners littered with candidate signs, mailboxes filled with hateful propaganda, and commercials that all look the same never stop and bring about emotions of laughter and anger all at once all rising to a fever pitch of political farse.  With all this agonizing noise being thrown at us and only a whimper of a response available come election day, the American Friends Service Committee and Private Corrections Working Group are providing a well needed opportunity to actually interact with the very important issue of prison privatization in Arizona.

Public Forum on Prison Privatization in Arizona: Risks and Benefits

Wednesday, 10/27/10 from 6-8pm at Pima Community College Downtown Campus in the Amethyst Room

With the state budget more dismal than ever and important educational and social service funding being slashed the state prison budget remains ever bloated to support the exploded prison population of Arizona.  Spending more money on prisons is not the answer no matter how you slice that pie.  Even if private prison companies claims that their services are cheaper and more efficient than state run systems were true (which history proves they are not), it would still be MORE MONEY on prisons that we don’t have.  So come out on Wednesday evening and hear some different perspectives on prison privatization in Arizona, or come prepared to give testimony or ask questions.  This Public Hearing is open to all.

As the election draws nearer this investigation into the ties between Governor Jan Brewer and the Corrections Corporation of America is more and more pertinent to Arizona and it’s taxpayers even if it aired a few weeks ago.  With the RFP for 5,000 beds recently removed by Arizona, but very likely to be replaced with another in the very near future, there is even more haste to understand exactly what role CCA and potentially other private prison companies have played in supporting legislation that they stand to benefit from.  Clearly the Brewer camp is concerned that you as voters may know this, as High Ground canceled all of its advertisements on CBS 5 as a result of the investigative reporting.  Watch below: