Community Renewal Society

The Corrections Corporation of America has earned some infamy. The private prison company operates 65 facilities in 19 states, had about 570 lawsuits filed against it between 1998 and 2008, and earns $109.1 million a year before interest and taxes. 

The biggest boon for the private detention industry has been immigration detention, and with 2011 seeing a record 400,000 deportations, more and more immigrants are being funneled into private immigration prisons. In fact, nearly half of all immigration detention beds are operated by private operators like the Corrections Corporation of America, according to Detention Watch Network.

Texas, where the company has more facilities than in any other state, has seen the widest range of its actions. And it's none too happy, says Bob Libal, a senior organizer with Grassroots Leadership.

The Corrections Corporation of America "and other private prisons corporations run their facilities to make a profit,” said Libal, “and the way they do that is by … cutting corners, and that has consequences.”

But, in Illinois, the company will be starting with a blank slate. So what can we expect from the largest private prison operator in the county?

The private operator has come under fire for the sexual abuse of detained immigrants, lack of medical treatment and overly punitive condition since it first began operating in 1983.

Read More at Chicago Muckrakers blog