The private prison industry is a huge lobbying force that contributes to U.S. mass incarceration -- and presidential candidate Marco Rubio is one of the biggest beneficiaries. Please sign the petition to urge Marco Rubio to pledge not to take more money from the private prison industry!
The two largest for-profit prison companies in the U.S. – GEO and Corrections Corporation of America – have spent over $35 million lobbying and donating to candidates since 1989,
reports The Washington Post. GEO has given Sen. Rubio nearly $40,000 in campaign donations. Despite a large drop in violent crime, the private prison industry's profits depend on high incarceration rates and strict immigration enforcement. Private prison companies don't just line politicians' pockets expecting nothing in return -- these arrangements are incredibly harmful because they result in legislation that funnels more human lives into cages.
State contracts with private prisons also include requirements that the state keep correctional facilities and immigration detention centers full. Nearly two-thirds of these contracts mandate state and local governments
maintain an occupancy rate as high as 90%, or require taxpayers to foot the bill for beds that aren't filled.
Please sign the petition to urge Marco Rubio to pledge not to take more money from the private prison industry! 