Private Prisons in the US

Guest: Brett Burkhardt, PhD, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Oregon State University Now let’s turn to the future of privatized prisons in the US justice system. Shortly after taking office last month, Attorney General Jeff Sessions reversed a directive issued by the Obama Administration aimed at phasing out the federal government’s contracts with private prisons. Attorney General Sessions has indicated the future needs of the federal correctional system will require the use of private prisons. That corresponds to President Trump’s immigration enforcement policies which are likely to result in many more people being detained while they wait for their immigration claims to be processed by the courts.