Bernie Sanders To Strike A Blow For Justice By Introducing Bill Banning Private Prisons

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 01:46 pm

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will introduce a bill tomorrow that takes a major step towards justice for all by banning private prisons.

According the office of Sen. Sanders, “Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) will announce at a news conference on Thursday that they are introducing bills to ban private prisons, reinstate the federal parole system and reduce the number of immigrants held in detention.”

Reps. Ellison and Rush will be introducing a companion bill in the House, but Sanders will be unveiling the Senate bill. The corrosive effect on justice that has resulted from turning incarceration into a for-profit enterprise can’t be overstated.

Sanders has said of his legislation, “We need to end, once and for all, the disgraceful practice of corporations profiting from the incarceration of Americans. As a nation, our goal must be to do everything we can to create the conditions that prevent mass incarceration. At a time when we are spending $50 billion a year on our correctional system, it makes a lot more sense to me to be investing in jobs and education for our young people than in more and more jails. Not only can we prevent thousands of lives from being destroyed, we can save billions of taxpayer dollars. Locking people up is a lot more expensive than schools.”

Corporations are profiting from keeping people in prison longer, and it is wrong. The private prison system goes against the values that our nation was founded on. If we really want the United States to be a nation that embodies justice for all, we must abolish private prisons that are part of a system that delivers justice for none.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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