Cummings Lauds Department of Justice Decision to Stop Using Private Prisons

Washington, DC (August 18, 2016)—Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued the following statement lauding the Department of Justice’s decision to stop using private prisons:

“Today the Justice Department set a positive example for states nationwide.  Private prisons incentivize mass incarceration, cost American taxpayers millions of dollars, and are less safe and less effective than publicly-operated prisons.  Our prisons should aim to rehabilitate incarcerated individuals, not generate profits for large corporations.”