Arizona faith leaders sent Gov. Jan Brewer a letter yesterday telling her to say no to the private prison industry. You can read the letter here AZ_Faith_community__letter_against_private_prisons.pdf.
From the American Friends Service Committee:
A group of congregations and faith leaders sent a letter to Governor Brewer today urging her to reject several efforts to expand private prisons in Arizona. The list of nearly 20 religious leaders from around the state included representatives from a diverse spectrum of faiths and denominations, including Presbyterians, United Church of Christ, Catholics, United Methodists, Quakers, and Muslims.
The letter came in concert with similar actions around the nation. Earlier this year, a letter from 32 national denominations and faith groups went out to US Governors urging them to reject Corrections Corporation of America’s offer to buy state prisons if the states promise to keep them 90% full. This Wednesday, April 18th was a national call-in day organized by the United Methodists and other faith groups asking their members around the country to contact the Governor of their state and voice their opposition to CCA’s offer to buy state prisons. Arizona congregations participated and urged calls to Brewer’s office.
Many denominations have resolutions or policy statements opposing prison privatization, including the United Methodist Church USA, Presbyterian Church USA, US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Bishops of the South, the Episcopal Church, and the United Church of Christ.
The letter to Brewer argues that profiting from incarceration is immoral and stands contrary to many deeply held religious beliefs such as forgiveness, redemption, loving one’s neighbor, and welcoming the stranger. They also contend that high incarceration rates are an assault on the sanctity of the family. Having an incarcerated family member often forces children into poverty or the child welfare system.
The faith leaders ask the Governor to cancel the Request for Proposals for 2,000 additional private prison beds for the state of Arizona and also urge her to refuse the offer of the Corrections Corporation of America to buy state prisons. In addition, they request the creation of accountability mechanisms for current private prisons in Arizona, including those contracted with other states and those contracted by the federal government.
This article appears in Apr 19-25, 2012.
So , theyd rather we just “forgive” these murderers, rapists, robbers, etc?? Yeah, NO. I dont give a crap who runs ’em – and if we can do it for less than usual, even better. If the churches want these people, create a country, and TAKE them.
They’ll keep the prisons 90% full the way they do in California – with a lot of people who smoke and deal marijuana. No thanks.
The crooks are the ones this extremist governor surrounds herself with… not leastly the main lobbyist for the private prison corporation that now has a large financial interest in the state of Arizona. Rest assured…it won’t be this “Extremist, Angel Death Star” Jan Brewer whose friends go to these corporate prisons it will be poor people for crimes that rich people get out of !
Please, don’t be fooled by this extremist governor who says she is a so called conservative yet passes more laws and expands government by throwing more people in jain for petty crimes like smoking pot ! What about good ol’ senator McCain who enjoys an extremely wealthy life style based off of his wife’s business in the sale of alcohol for consumption? The consumption of alcohol kills more people every year than pot ever did or will yet…it’s not illegal and that is…what you call political hypocricy on the part of this so called governor Brewer and her political friends on both sides of the political aisle !
Please help us to recall this extremist governor Jan Brewer before she contributes to the deaths of anymore Arizona citizens !
recallbrewer.com
Leonard Clark chair of the committee to recall Arizona extremist governor Jan Brewer.
04-22-12
It is not enough to stop building more prisons. As some of you have noted, the laws need to be changed so police can use their time to pursue robbers and child molesters and not people attending cock fights or driving while brown.
Let’s not forget Brewer’s personal, profitable connections to the private prison industry that would have her making money over non-violent crimes and the destruction of families.
Having been a “guest of the state”, I can tell you that 80% of those incarcerated are there for what the state deems “non-dangerous, non-repetitive” crimes (the other 20% shouldn’t ever leave).
In this state, and across the nation, people are turned into felons so frequently and so casually that I’m beginning to suspect that it’s some sort of government “tag and release” program. They get your fingerprints, DNA, and that pesky right to vote.
Once a profit motive became associated with the loss of liberty, no amount of oversight has been able to keep it from being abused. This was not how it was intended. A free society must necessarily bear a burden when taking a man’s freedom, even for the worst of us. Otherwise, the concept of freedom itself becomes meaningless, and somehow cheapened. Just another commodity to be bought and sold. (Imagine a future where those who can afford it, order items off the Bill of Rights as though it were a fast food menu.)
If bearing this burden leaves a bad taste in your mouth, so be it. History has shown us a number of darker alternatives. If living in a free society were easy, everyone would do it.
Up the river with George Raft………………….
I definitely don’t like the idea of prison for profit. That increases the likelihood of corruption 100 fold, and aren’t the prisons already enough of a problem? We need to give people who have done non-violent crimes at least a second chance. Those who commit violent crimes need to be in a prison where there is no chance of escape or anything else since they are dangerous to society. But having a quota to meet increases the chances that we will be putting people in jail for the smallest of crimes and ruining their lives for a very long time.
Prison for profit is a very scary game. You right wingers hoot and holler and yee haw away at the idea of locking up every single person who jay walks, all you want, but believe me, one day you or someone close to you will have one too many coming home from the shooting range or tea party rally and they will get the book thrown at them so one of your party mates can throw a couple extra 20’s in their wallet…
and that my friends, is how you create a colossal run-on sentence. (That should be a crime)
Unfortunately, the Catch-22 with a private prison is, that if you put fewer people in jail, the price per head goes up. The state has guaranteed their profits. We are not going to save money with private prisons. They cost us more and serve our interest less.
The forgiveness thing is simply a statement of their beliefs. The fact is we imprison more people per capita than any other country in the world, including even China and Russia and we criticize them? The problem is the CCA’s big money lobby. They are paying off politicians to increase sentences for the same crimes as well as encouraging long sentences for victimless crimes. Putting someone in prison for 10 years for possession of a few joints of weed is just flat wrong. We all know that. Where is the justice when a murderer can get out in 10 years? The punishments don’t fit the crimes because of the CCA’s lobby and crooked politicians. The worse part is that the vast majority of people in prison are low income and/or minorities. Basically, if you can’t afford a good private attorney, you will certainly go to prison. This goes for anyone, including you. That speaks again to money being the determining factor and the reason the CCA is trying to pull this crap. It’s just the same as the large corporations like Monsanto paying off politicians to allow them to poison our crops and contaminate natural farm seed. When are we going to stop this greed over human life paradigm that is so rampant in corporate America? This CCA stuff is one of the worst things that has come of this greed. It’s disgusting. People that murder or do otherwise nasty crimes should get long sentences and people popped with less than 2 ounces of weed should be fined and slapped on the hands. The worse thing you can do with them is take away their weed after they spent $400 an ounce for it. 🙂
@Rob Gonzalez – visit an Arizona prison, low income yes, but at least 50% white
Private prisons are the mission of the Republicans, big corporations and ALEC. Just read about ALEC, they have a web site. There mission is for private prisons, private schools, taking any voices away from the people.
ALEC and Republicans mission is for Big Corporation to run this nation. Jan Brewer is a pupper of lobbyist, getting big bucks, becoming a millionaire as Governor. Brewer needs to be fired.