Tag Archives: prison

Business/Economics, U.S.

United Police States of America: Arizona City stands up to evil prison contractor GEO, says no more

Florida based GEO Group, got slammed by hundreds of Goodyear, Arizona residents, after GEO attempted to convince local authorities to let them build a new prison.

The Arizona Department of Corrections wants a new 5,000 bed prison.  They’ve picked 5 possible locations.  The prison will be run by a contractor, for 20 years.

So far several cities have indicated their desire to be the location of the new prison, but one city, Goodyear, made it clear they did not want a GEO run prison in their back yard.

It wasn’t just the people of Goodyear, but several businesses, and organizations as well. The list includes Duncan Family Farms; the Litchfield elementary school district, along with the city of Litchfield Park; property developers Sunbelt Holdings and Robson Resort Communities; and Sub-Zero refrigerator manufacturer.

A GEO representative tried to convince the Goodyear council that the prison could bring in an annual payroll of up to $51 million to the community.

Mayor Georgia Lord responded: “A prison does not grow anything but more prisoners.”

Along with the 5,000 bed prison, GEO is trying to get Arizona to build a smaller 3,000 bed prison in San Luis, near Yuma.

 

 

International, U.S.

United Police States of America meets United Police Kingdom: Scots horrified that U.S. prison contractor GEO will now run Scottish prison

“The decision to give control of an immigration center in Scotland to a company with so many allegations against them in relation to human rights shows a staggering lack of judgment.  The Scottish people will be horrified by this decision.”-Anas Sarwar, Glasgow Central MP

The GEO Group, a corporation that manages part of the Guantanamo Bay prison camp (GITMO), and manages several private prisons throughout the U.S., has won a contract to run the Dungavel immigrant removal center, in Scotland.

GEO has a record of sexual assaults against prisoners, and their own employees.

Recently guards at South Texas Detention Complex have been accused of forcing women prisoners to have sex with them, or they will be deported.

In 2007, Texas canceled a $9 million contract with GEO, and closed the Coke County Juvenile Justice Center, after it was revealed that the children were sexually abused.

One prisoner at GEO’s Willacy County prison, also in Texas, was beaten to death last year.

In October, 2010, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a complaint against GEO, claiming the company permitted sexual harassment of female employees at their Central Arizona Correctional Facility.

Even Australia stopped doing business with GEO. Contracts were canceled after a series of scandals over rioting, racial abuse of detainees, and sexual assaults on women and children.

Dungavel immigrant removal center was established in 2001, to hold asylum seekers whose applications were rejected. The U.K. Border Agency overseas the operation of the center.  Amazingly British officials are happy with GEO’s track record: “We are satisfied that GEO have delivered this as a tried and tested formula.”-U.K. Border Agency spokesman

GEO officials say their track record has nothing to do with their performance: “No custodial or detention system is immune to incidents and challenges inherent in the management of offender populations, and it would be unfair to judge an organization’s record based on individual incidents rather than its overall record.”-Walter MacGowan, Managing director of GEO UK

 

 

U.S.

South Carolina Prison Christian Crusaders ban all books but Bible

In an obvious act of religious discrimination, a South Carolina prison has banned all books, except the Bible, from being read by prisoners.  The ban went into effect in 2008.  The Bible is the only religious book allowed.

The book ban is taking place at the Berkeley County prison.  The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit.

Prison officials claim that only books and magazines with staples in them are banned.  But several book publishers, and individuals, say all books (except the Bible) sent to prisoners are being returned by the prison officials.  Also, in an email response, a prison staff member admitted that only Bibles are allowed: “…our inmates are only allowed soft black Bibles in the mail directly from the publisher.”

The ACLU also discovered that legal pads of paper, with staples in them, are being sold to prisoners.  The ACLU says the Berkeley County prison has obviously implemented a Bible only policy, despite officials trying to dodge the claims of the lawsuit.