In case anyone loses sight of what these republican cocksuckers want

[Minimalist]

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=867

What is the most profitable industry in America? Weapons, oil and computer technology all offer high rates of return, but there is probably no sector of the economy so abloom with money as the privately run prison industry.

Consider the growth of the Corrections Corporation of America, the industry leader whose stock price has climbed from $8 a share in 1992 to about $30 today and whose revenue rose by 81 per cent in 1995 alone. Investors in Wackenhut Corrections Corp. have enjoyed an average return of 18 per cent during the past five years and the company is rated by Forbes as one of the top 200 small businesses in the country. At Esmor, another big private prison contractor, revenues have soared from $4.6 million in 1990 to more than $25 million in 1995.

What a surprise!

Profits from Detaining Illegal Immigrants

CCA, along with many other private prison companies, was on the brink of financial collapse in the 1990's following widespread stories of escapes, inmate violence, and deplorable conditions in their facilities. CCA's stock had lost 93 percent of its value in the year 2000. The company and the industry as a whole rebounded in the early 2000's following a massive increase the amount of illegal immigrant detentions in the wake of 9/11, which created a whole new market for their facilities. Since 2001, CCA revenue has increased 88%, and they have managed to receive at least $1 billion in revenue for each of the last 8 years. [15]

Alabama

In 2011 CCA hired high-profile lobbyist Toby Roth and John Hagood, former head of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to advocate on its behalf in the state. The state recently passed HB 56, which has widely been described as the toughest immigration law in the country, so the intensified lobbying effort may indicate that CCA is attempting to profit from the increased incarceration of illegal immigrants resulting from the implementation of the law. Roth and Hagood are both well-connected to former Alabama governor Bob Riley, who is now a lobbyist in Washington DC, giving the CCA an avenue of influence at the federal level. [16] Privatization of prisons was tried previously in Alabama with the LCS corporation, but was quickly scuttled after several incidents of escapes and frequent inmate violence. [17]

Arizona

CCA lobbied heavily for the passage of S.B. 1070, Arizona's anti-immigration bill. Just a week after the bill was introduced, CCA hired Highground Consulting, one of the most influential lobbying groups in Phoenix, to lobby on its behalf. In addition, Governor Jan Brewer's spokesman had previously worked as CCA's chief lobbyist in Arizona during his time at the Policy Development Group, and continues to lobby the legislature for CCA even to this day. CCA also made other hiring decisions to increase its influence in Arizona prior to the bill's introduction. Brad Regans,the "Vice President of State Partnership Relations," was formerly the director of fiscal policy in the Arizona House. In addition, former Arizona senator Dennis DeConcini was selected to be a member of the Board of Directors for CCA.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?tit...tributions