PRISON PUBLIC HEARING ALERT
from our Friends at AFSC-TUSCON
URGENT! Hearings scheduled for proposed for-profit prisons.
Folks,
We
just learned that a new round of hearings has been scheduled for
proposed private prisons in AZ. The first hearing was last night in
Coolidge. The second is scheduled for Thursday IN ELOY. Details below.
We desperately need people to attend these meetings and speak out against the prisons.
It is always preferable for these to be local people who live in the
community. But since these prisons “belong” to everyone in AZ (and will
be paid for with your tax dollars), anyone has the right to give their
input.
We
will be organizing carpools to the next two hearings (Eloy and
Florence), so please contact me ASAP if you can go. The last two are in
Yuma and Winslow, and I doubt we can get people together to go from
Tucson, so if you know ANYONE who lives in these towns, please send them
the info and encourage them to speak out.
Finally,
if you are not able to physically attend, please consider submitting
written testimony to the Department of Corrections. Please explicitly
state that you are submitting formal testimony and you want it included
in the record. Also be sure to reference the solicitation in your
letter or email:
Proposal No.: ADOC12-00001388 / ADC No. 120088DC - Medium Security Prison Beds, up to 2000
And send to:
Denel Pickering, Chief Procurement Officer, ADC
1601 W. Jefferson
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Email: Dpicker@azcorrections.
We need your help! Thanks,
Caroline
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 9, 2012
Public Hearings Scheduled for Proposed For-Profit Prisons in
Coolidge, Eloy, Florence, San Luis/Yuma, and Winslow
The
Arizona Department of Corrections is considering final bids from five
private, for-profit correctional management corporations for the
construction and management of an additional 2,000 state prison beds.
The Department of Corrections will be holding public hearings in
each of the towns under consideration for a new prison or prisons. The
public is encouraged to attend and voice their concerns about having a
private prison as a neighbor.
Here is the schedule of the hearings:
1. Coolidge: Management and Training Corporation (MTC). The public hearing will be held Thursday, August 6th, 5-7pm at the Coolidge City Council Chambers, 911 S. Arizona Blvd., Coolidge. *
2. Eloy: Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). The public hearing will be held Thursday, August 9th, 5-7pm at the Eloy Junior High School Auditorium, 404E. Phoenix Ave., Eloy.
3. Florence: GEO Group. The public hearing will be held Monday, August 13th, 5-7pm, at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Grand Ballroom, 240 W. Hwy 287, Florence.
4. San Luis (Yuma):
There are three corporations vying for a contract for Yuma:
Management
and Training Corporation (MTC), GEO Group, and Emerald Corrections.
The public hearing will be held Tuesday, August 14th, 5-9pm at the City of San Luis City Parks and Rec Cesar Chavez Cultural Center, 1015 N. Main St., San Luis.
5. Winslow: LaSalle/Southwest Corrections. The public hearing will be held Thursday, August 16th, 5-7pm at the Winslow High School Performing Arts Center, 600 E. Cherry St., Winslow.
* Our
apologies for the late notice, but the Department of Corrections
announced the hearings on August 6, the day of the first hearing.
The American Friends Service Committee condemns
the decision to build more private prisons as unnecessary and deeply
irresponsible given the state’s economic crisis and the dismal safety
records of all of the corporations involved.
Arizona’s
prison population is decreasing, and the Department of Corrections
projects negative growth for the next few years. Yet, the Governor and
state legislature appropriated $16 million for new prison beds.
Arizona’s annual corrections budget is over
$1 billion, consuming 11% of the state general fund. The Department of
Corrections was the only state agency whose budget saw an increase this
year, even as education, social services, and health care funding was
slashed.
In February of 2012, AFSC of Arizona released Private Prisons: The Public’s Problem,
a comprehensive report on the for-profit prison industry in Arizona
that presented damning evidence that these facilities do not save the
state money, have serious safety problems, and are not accountable to
the taxpayers of Arizona: http://afsc.org/
####
The
American Friends Service Committee is a non-profit organization that
works for justice and human rights both nationally and internationally.
The Arizona office, based in Tucson, advocates for criminal justice
reform.
Caroline Isaacs,
Program Director,
American Friends Service Committee, Arizona Area Program
103 N. Park Ave., Ste. 111
Tucson, AZ 85719
Check out our blog: www.tucsoncitizen.com/
And join us on facebook: http://www.