The state of Alabama is facing a humanitarian crisis, and we’re proceeding with efforts to help deliver desperately needed, modern corrections infrastructure to replace dilapidated, aging facilities that originally were designed with one purpose in mind – to warehouse individuals, not rehabilitate returning citizens. Our partners in Alabama appreciate the solutions we’re providing to help improve conditions for the incarcerated people in their care, and they appreciate those in the investor community who continue to support these critical infrastructure projects.

The reckless and irresponsible activists who claim to represent the interests of incarcerated people are in effect advocating for outdated facilities, less rehabilitation space and potentially dangerous conditions for correctional staff and inmates alike. This type of extremism does nothing but put politics over people, and exacerbates rather than solves the challenges facing our criminal justice system. If modernizing antiquated corrections infrastructure and providing space for more reentry programing are not aligned with these activists worldview, so be it. We’ll continue to be part of the solution and work with those who share those priorities and ideals.

We want to be clear on several points:

• This initiative will replace correctional beds that have far outlived their useful life. It will not increase available space to incarcerate.
• The Alabama facilities will be managed and operated by the state – not CoreCivic. These are not privately run prisons.
• These new facilities will greatly improve the quality of life for both inmates and the dedicated state employees who will be operating them.

Our government partners continue to work with us because they understand the difference we help them make. We provide government the flexibility to manage the ups and downs of prison populations and provide better, safer care to inmates. And, under our longstanding, zero-tolerance policy, we don’t draft, lobby for or promote legislation that determines the basis or duration of an individual’s incarceration. Anyone serious about this issue knows that we aren’t the driver of mass incarceration – only 8 percent of inmates are cared for in facilities run by private contractors – but we are working hard to be part of the solution.