primary private prison company runs 136 correctional, detention, or reentry facilities. 
2 Pictured below, 
roughly half of the 50 States in America use private prison industry prisons. 
States Using Private Prison Industry 
Private Prison State Map 
 
Much debate has come from the incorporation of private prisons. The critics of private prisons denote 
the lack of transparency in the reporting processes that would come from a normal prison. Still, others 
tackle a bigger issue – punishment for profit. That is – while taxpayers ultimately pay for all punishment 
of individuals, either at the State or Federal level, shareholders and administrators of the companies are 
making money by punishing people, under the guise of capitalism. For a more in-depth review of this, 
see a report presented by the Sentencing Project: https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/private-
prisons-united-states/ and on NPR:   https://www.npr.org/2010/10/28/130833741/prison-economics-help-
drive-ariz-immigration-law 
2. See Geo Group facilities map: https://www.geogroup.com/LOCATIONS 
ALISON S. BURKE, DAVID CARTER, BRIAN FEDOREK, TIFFANY MOREY, LORE RUTZ-BURRI, AND SHANELL
SANCHEZ
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