The U.S. Justice Department announced on Thursday that it will stop using private prisons, effective immediately.
“They simply do not provide the same level of correctional services, programs, and resources; they do not save substantially on costs; and as noted in a recent report by the Department’s Office of Inspector General, they do not maintain the same level of safety and security,” Yates wrote.
The announcement comes after a report last week showed that for-profit prisons were less safe than public prisons.
According to CNN, advocates for prison reform think that this may be the beginning of the end for private prisons. “It’s definitely a good step. It’s heading in the right direction, but it isn’t as extensive as the headlines make it sound,” says Ann Schwartzman, executive director of the oldest prison reform advocacy group, Pennsylvania Prison Society.
Since the announcement, the two biggest private prison companies in the country, Corrections Corporation of America and GEO Group, declined about 25 percent.
