Corrections Corporation of America:
Corrections Corporation of America (NYSE: CXW) (CCA) is a company that manages public prisons and detention centers, and has concessions for many others.
The company is the largest private corrections company in the United States. As such, CCA manages 82,000 beds in 66 facilities, of which it owns 42 facilities, in 19 states and Washington, DC.
CCA has been recognized as one of the 100 best corporate citizens by Corporate Responsibility Officer magazine[1]. The national military magazine GI Jobs has highlighted CCA as a solid employer for veterans[2] and named it a 50 top military friendly employer in 2006[3].
CCA was incorporated on January 28, 1983, by three businessmen who sought to bring the provision of corrections, a traditionally government-administered service, into the private sector. CCA is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
[edit] Company Beginnings
Houston Processing Center was CCA's first design, build and manage contract from the U.S. Department of Justice for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service) in Texas. Construction was underway on the Houston Processing Center in Texas when the INS notified CCA that it needed housing for detainees earlier than expected. Co-founders Tom Beasley and Don Hutto went to Houston to find a motel to temporarily house detainees. The owner of the local Olympic Motel agreed to a 90-day lease. After a team of contractors cleaned and secured the facility, an INS inspection team approved the facility for use by 86 detainees, scheduled to arrive at 11:00 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday. Hutto bought toiletries at Wal-Mart with his American Express card, produced photo ID cards and rolled fingerprints, while other corporate officers distributed sandwiches and helped security staff escort detainees to their living quarters. CCA's Houston Processing Center opened a few months later, in March 1984, and remains in operation for ICE today.
[edit] Private vs. Public Partnership
More than 25 years ago, CCA founded the corrections management industry. Today, the company is among the leading providers in this specialty, partnering with federal, state and local governments as an integral and proven component of their strategic and comprehensive correctional plan. Discussions about the benefits of public-private partnership continue in the media, academia and think tanks. Such partnerships have been forged to provide the public with many other services historically under the exclusive purview of government, such as public utilities, waste management and education. Since being established more than a quarter-century ago, privatized corrections has become a viable means of managing offenders classified at all levels, with unique rehabilitative and daily needs, as well as assisting agencies faced with budgetary shortfalls, inmate overcrowding and staffing deficits. Such alliances enable the public sector to benefit from the efficiencies and innovations of private industry.[4]
Currently, approximately five percent of all offenders in the United States are housed in privately managed correctional facilities. Independent reports project a steady increase in the nation’s incarcerated population in the coming years. At such a rate, government agencies are expected to enter into – or expand – partnerships with companies such as CCA, which provides customized corrections management services guided by industry best practices, the high standards of the American Correctional Association, contractual mandates, and fire, health and building codes.
CCA also provides just-in-time (JIT) bed space for temporary, emergency, short-term or long-term use. In order to continually offer this service to its customers, CCA often builds facilities with more bed space than required to accommodate additional detainees.
In a 2008-released study, evidence indicated that states can save a substantial amount of money if they use a shared system of both privately and publicly managed prisons. The research showed that during the study period (1999-2004), states were able to save up to $15 million on their yearly corrections budget by using at least some privately managed prisons. The study was overseen by James Blumstein, director of the Health Policy Center, Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies. [5]
[edit] Safety and Security
CCA’s security and safety is defined by state-of-the-art hardware and guided by a philosophy that upholds correctional best practices, contractual mandates, national accreditation standards set by the American Correctional Association (ACA), and proven expertise. CCA’s commitment to safety and security is developed through organizational measures, intensive training and technology.
On the frontline level, being a member of the security team at CCA means more than performing requisite checks on a shift; it means being an ambassador of safety and security for inmates, the surrounding community and fellow staff. CCA correctional officers are responsible for securing housing units, controlling inmate movements, performing perimeter checks, supervising inmates, reporting and documenting incidents, and resolving conflicts. To maintain safety and security, they receive comprehensive and ongoing training.
[edit] Inmate Programs
One of CCA's core beliefs is that incarceration carries the responsibility of offender rehabilitation. Affording inmates the opportunity to develop necessary personal and social skills reduces the burden on both the criminal justice system and the taxpayers who fund it. Offenders in CCA institutions are offered programs designed to promote self-sufficiency and personal accountability.
[edit] Educational Services
Programs at CCA facilities offer a wide scope of academic, vocational, and life skills opportunities:
[edit] Addictions Treatment and Behavioral Programs
CCA offers evidence-based addictions treatment programming in various modalities based on objective assessments and customer identified need.
[edit] Faith-based Programs
Chaplain and Religious Services are provided at all CCA-managed correctional facilities. All religious and faith-based programs are offered to the inmates on a voluntary basis and in adherence with the First Amendment and established policies and procedures. CCA actively recruits volunteers to provide religious services for inmates of all beliefs. Religious services and programs focus on the principles and knowledge needed to practice positive life changing values, attitudes and behaviors.
[edit] Industry
CCA's Inmate Programs Department (IPD) to develops secular work programs that offer inmates meaningful work and employment opportunities that enhance existing skill sets and teach new marketable skills. Equally significant, aquiring positive social skills and understanding principles related to career development and employment are integral components of IPD’s Prison Industries Enhancement (PIE) Program.
To achieve these objectives, CCA has implemented two models. The Prison Industry Enhancement Certified Program (PIECP), which has been designated by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) as a Cost Accounting Center (CAC) and Prison Industry Enhancement - Like Program (PIELP), or service industry program, that is undesignated. Approval and oversight of this program is not provided by BJA, but is provided by the State Department of Corrections.
[edit] Recreation
[edit] The CCA 360
In response to what the company felt to be biased news reporting, CCA launched TheCCA360.com as a blogging platform. It serves as a clearing house for the company to counter slanted media reports about its prisons and business practices, while also allowing company employees to share their stories and thoughts on why they enjoy working for CCA.
[edit] Community Outreach
CCA claims to be a responsible corporate citizen and makes contributions to the community in several ways. One of those is the Annual Chairman’s Charity Golf Classic. Several Middle Tennessee organizations benefit from the golf tournament, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, CASA Inc., Magdalene, Men of Valor, Miriam’s Promise, Project Return, The Next Door and Youth Encouragement Services. Many of these non-profit organizations aid former offenders or families that have been affected by incarceration. For the 2008 event, it was estimated that $100,000 in net proceeds benefited those organizations.
The company also has its CCAssist Fund, which makes rapid and responsive relief available to CCA’s more than 17,000 employees nationwide. Since its inception in 2006, CCAssist has provided thousands of dollars a month in aid to employees in times of great need, including disaster relief.
During the 2008 hurricane season, CCA provided assistance to hurricane-struck areas of the Gulf Coast in several ways. When Hurricane Gustav hit Adams County, Miss., CCA used its still-under-development Adams County Correctional Center as a storage facility for the Adams County Emergency Management Agency. CCA and ACEMA stored water, blankets, food, cots and cleaning kits in the warehouse[6]. In Texas, CCA worked with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to evacuate 800 detainees form the path of Hurricane Ike, transporting them to other facilities in Texas, Florida and Mississippi[7].
[edit] T. Don Hutto Residential Center
Among 63 other facilities, CCA runs T. Don Hutto Residential Center, a former medium-security prison in Taylor, Texas, which, since 2006, has held immigrant detainees, under a pass-through contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of Homeland Security[8]. All detainees at the facility have been charged with illegal entry into the United States and have been determined to be expedited removal cases. While awaiting their deportation, many apply for asylum and are released on bond while awaiting court hearings. A lawsuit brought against ICE asserted that detainees were being held in inhumane conditions. However, since the resulting settlement in August 2007, CCA and ICE have made several changes to the facility, including on-site pediatric service for the children being detained, as well as making the toilets in their open cells private with the addition of a shower curtain. Additional visitation hours, hours of schooling and recreational opportunities were also agreed upon.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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