Majority of private prison contracts demand taxpayer-backed lockup quotas

AFP Photo / Justin Sullivan

The majority of contracts between local US governments and for-profit prisons require “lockup quotas” and “low crime taxes,” according to a new report.

The report, which was released by In the Public Interest, states that 62 percent of private prison contracts studied by the group require states to keep 80 to 100 percent of prison beds occupied. It also revealed that taxpayers compensate the private companies if the number of prisoners falls below the quota – a policy which guarantees profit within the mass incarceration industry.