1 / 36

WHEN MISERY MEANS PROFIT

WHEN MISERY MEANS PROFIT. Immigration Enforcement, the Prison Industry and the American Legislative Exchange Council. THE CURRENT CONTEXT: CRIMINALIZATION, DEPORTATION AND INCARCERATION. CRIMINALIZATION: 287G.

zeki
Download Presentation

WHEN MISERY MEANS PROFIT

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. WHEN MISERY MEANS PROFIT Immigration Enforcement, the Prison Industry and the American Legislative Exchange Council

  2. THE CURRENT CONTEXT: CRIMINALIZATION, DEPORTATION AND INCARCERATION

  3. CRIMINALIZATION: 287G • 1996 federal statute allows state and local officers to enforce federal immigration law • Only federal program that allows direct enforcement by local officers • Mostly allows enforcement in jails (90%) • Operates in 72 jurisdictions nationally • Increased operating budget • 2007: $15.6 million • 2010: $68 million

  4. CRIMINALIZATION: Secure Communities • 2007 DHS initiative allows FBI to share fingerprint data with DHS to identify violators of immigration law when arrested for criminal offenses • DHS removed 64,072 people (as of 10/10) • Secure Communities expected to be mandatory by 2013 • Already in all 25 southwest border counties • $200 million budget • 686 jurisdictions in 33 states (as of10/10)

  5. CRIMINALIZATION: Operation Streamline • 2005 Border Patrol initiative designed to criminally prosecute all unauthorized entrants • Forces migrants into federal criminal courts, federal penal system • En masse hearings – up to 80 defendants • Meeting with counsel, initial appearance, arraignment, plea, sentencing in one day • Immigration prosecutions now 54% of all federal criminal prosecutions

  6. DEPORTATION • “It has been another record-breaking year at ICE” – DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano (2010) • Deportations under Obama • 54% have no criminal record • FY 2009: 389,834 • FY 2010: 392,000

  7. DEPORTATION

  8. DEPORTATION

  9. INCARCERATION • 3,000 ICE detainees per day in AZ • 58% increase over 6 years • Over 400,000 people to be detained this year • Latin@s now exceed 50% of those sentenced for federal felony offenses

  10. INCARCERATION • Since 2005 “Operation Streamline has funneled more than $1.2 billion into the largely for-profit detention system in Texas, driving the expansion of private prisons along the border.”

  11. CRIMINALIZATION AND THE PRISON INDUSTRY

  12. U.S. PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX • World’s largest prison population: 2.4 million people incarcerated and over 7 million under "correctional supervision” • World’s highest incarceration rate: 743 per 100,000 people • U.S. incarcerates 25% of world’s prisoners • Increasingly privatized • Since 2000 overall prison population has risen 16% • Population in private state facilities has risen 33% • Population in private federal facilities has risen 120%

  13. PRIVATE PRISON INDUSTRY • Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) • 80,000 beds, 66 U.S. facilities in 19 states, $1.7 billion annual revenue • The GEO Group (GEO) • 80,000 beds, 53 U.S. facilities in 17 states, $1.3 billion annual revenue • Management and Training Corporation (MTC) • 26,000 beds, 20 U.S. facilities in 7 states • 130,000 people in private prisons (as of 12/09)

  14. PRISON PROFITEERING • CCA: “The demand for our facilities and services could be adversely affected by the relaxation of enforcement efforts, leniency in conviction or parole standards and sentencing practices or through the decriminalization of certain activities that are currently proscribed by our criminal laws…” • GEO Group: “Those people coming across the border and getting caught are going to have to be detained and…there's going to be enhanced opportunities for what we do.”

  15. PRISON INDUSTRY INFLUENCE • Lobbying • CCA: $17.6 million in lobbying at federal level since 2000 • GEO: $2.4 million in lobbying at federal level since 2004 • Campaign donations • 2010 was ten-year high • In the past decade, CCA and GEO gave: • $835,514 to federal candidates • $6,092,331 to state candidates • 75% to eventual election winners • Relationships and associations • Ties to legislators and executives(AZ Gov. Jan Brewer) • ALEC membership

  16. PRISON INDUSTRY INFLUENCE

  17. AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL

  18. AMERICAN LEGISLATIVEEXCHANGE COUNCIL • “The nation's largest, non-partisan, individual public-private membership association of state legislators.” • Membership • 2000 legislators (1/3 of all state lawmakers) • Over 200 corporate and special interest members • Revenue (2008) • $7 million budget • 1.3% from legislators • 81.7% from corporations

  19. THE ALEC MODEL • Focus on concerns of member industries • Nine task forces approve model legislation • Corporate members buy access • Legislation drafted by industry representatives • Shook, Hardy and Bacon LLP • Three annual meetings • “networking opportunities” • FUN! • “Educational activities” • Reports, scorecards, toolkits

  20. ALEC’S SUCCESS • Hundreds of bills introduced annually • Average success rate: 17% • 2009 • 826 bills introduced • 115 enacted • 14% success rate • Several states passed 8 bills • 38 states passed at least 1 bill • Some years implementation rate has reached 38%

  21. ALEC AND THE PRISON INDUSTRY • At least 1 dozen ALEC members do prison business • ALEC prison industry members • Corrections: CCA, Geo Group, Wackenhut Corrections (now G4S) • Dining: Sodexo Marriot • Construction: Turner Construction • Phone: AT&T and GTE

  22. ALEC AND THE PRISON INDUSTRY • ALEC “really took the forefront in promoting” incarceration during the 1990s. • Truth-in-sentencing, three-strikes (habitual offender), and mandatory minimum sentencing laws • 1991: Partnered with NRA for “CrimeStrike” campaign • 40 states passed truth-in-sentencing • 25 states passed three-strikes • 1990s • Prison construction boomed • Incarceration rate doubled • Prison population expanded by one-half million people • Private jailers made millions

  23. ALEC ANDARIZONA’S SB1070

  24. SB 1070 • Prohibits sanctuary policies • Criminalizes day labor • Makes transporting and “harboring” undocumented people a misdemeanor • *Requires law enforcement to determine immigration status during lawful stop • *Requires non-citizens to carry I.D. • *Makes soliciting and performing work illegal for undocumented people *Enjoined by federal judge Susan Bolton, 7/28/10

  25. AZ SENATOR RUSSELL PEARCE • “Arizona’s, and the nation’s, most outspoken advocate for stopping the illegal invasion, securing our borders and enforcing our laws”

  26. 1070’S PATH TO LAW • 36 AZ state legislators are ALEC members • 40% of state legislature • Public Safety and Elections Task Force • Pearce • CCA • American Bail Coalition • National Rifle Association

  27. 1070’S PATH TO LAW • Drafted by Kris Kobach (F.A.I.R.) • Introduced at December 2009 State and Nation Policy Summit in Washington, D.C. • Unanimously approved by Public Safety and Elections Task Force • Became “No Sanctuary Cities for Illegal Immigrants Act”

  28. 1070’S PATH TO LAW • Introduced to AZ state legislature in January • Co-sponsored by 36 legislators • 2/3 ALEC members • 30 receive donations from prison industry • SB1070 signed April 23

  29. “Copycats” • 24 states introduced similar bills • Laws passed in Utah, Indiana, Georgia, Alabama and Utah

  30. TYPICAL ALEC • Drafted by lawyer and corporate member • Support from ALEC members • ALEC never intervened directly • Similar legislation appeared throughout nation

  31. RESISTANCE TO BORDERS, PRISONS, COLONIALISM AND ALEC

  32. CONVERGENCE AGAINST ALEC November, 2011 - Phoenix, AZ • The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa 6902 E. Greenway Parkway Scottsdale, AZ 85254

  33. CONVERGENCE SCHEDULE • Tuesday, November 29th • Spokescouncils • Trainings • Wednesday, November 30th • Shut it down • Thursday, December 1st • Decentralized actions throughout Phoenix • Friday, December 2nd • Decentralized actions throughout Phoenix • March during First Friday in downtown • Saturday, December 3rd • Conference • Workshops and presentations on ongoing struggles in Arizona

  34. FOR MORE INFORMATION • azresistsalec.wordpress.com/ • More information about ALEC and updates on the convergence planned for this November. • alecexposed.org/ • A database of all the recently-leaked ALEC model legislation and a wealth of other information. • inthesetimes.com/article/6084/corporate_con_game/ • The first article to expose ALEC’s role in crafting and promoting Arizona’s SB1070. • alecwatch.org/report.html • A detailed examination’s of ALEC’s history, operating model and influence on state legislatures. • chaparralrespectsnoborders.blogspot.com/ • Information about ongoing resistance in Arizona as well as resources related to ALEC and prisons.

More Related