ALEC - Not Where You Find "Best Practices"

As the privatization experiment of the American Legislative Exchange Council matures - IT FAILS.

ALEC legislators supposedly get together to talk about "best practices" among the states and based on the real-life horror stories coming out - promoting ALEC privatization policies schemes is not a "best practice".

Prison privatization will continue to be a worst case scenario for ALEC "model legislation".

From an article on Think Progress:

Other states with private prison health care can forecast the conditions Florida inmates will now face. A Kaiser report on these systems found “inhumane” conditions, with terminally ill inmates left in soiled linens without food or water for days. One Arizona man with lung cancer begged for treatment, only to be told by medical staff that he should drink energy shakes to cure his symptoms. Others who have begged for medical aid have been told they were simply making it up or that they should “pray to be cured.”

Florida has already privatized several prisons entirely, with terrible consequences. One prisoner, Robert Boggon, was sent to jail after suffering a mental episode in a Dollar Tree store. Boggon never received a psychiatric evaluation even though he was rocking on the floor of his cell and urinating on himself. After 11 days in jail, Boggon was found dead, naked, and strapped to an emergency restraint chair with a towel around his head in his cell in the jail infirmary. The death was ruled a homicide, but the medical examiner placed the blame on no one.

Moreover, Gov. Rick Scott’s claims that privatization saves the state money have not lived up to their promise. However, private prison companies have donated heavily to Florida lawmakers to ensure they continue to back privatization. The industry donated nearly $1 million to mostly Republican campaigns in 2010, and have already padded Scott’s re-election campaign with more than $100,000.

Prison Privatization - A Waste of Tax Payer $$$

Multiple reports have documented that privatization of our prison system – which has been financially beneficial for ALEC corporate members CCA, Wackenhut and GEO Group  -  is wasting taxpayer money. 

More expensive in Arizona  

>>>HERE<<<<  and  >>>HERE<<<

More expensive in Colorado

More expensive in Ohio

>>>HERE<<<<  and  >>>HERE<<<

More expensive in Mississippi

Very little savings in Florida

 

I could go on and on and on – but why?

It should be evident to all Americans – that the experimental privatization policies of the American Legislative Exchange Council are a public policy failure.