More than 2 million people are currently incarcerated across the United States. Since 1970, the U.S. prison population has increased by a whopping 700%. Incarceration is big business.

The private prison industry fills cages with Black and Brown people, puts them to (nearly unpaid) work, and profits billions.

The prison industrial complex depends on local and state police departments and federal law enforcement agencies targeting Black and Brown communities. Black people comprise only 12% of the total U.S. population but close to 33% of the total U.S. prison population. As the private prison industry expands into immigration detention, corporations are further incentivized to turn a profit from incarcerating our community members.

Private prison facilities are notorious for overcrowding, medical negligence, inhumane living conditions, and physical and sexual abuse of inmates. Yet, federal and state lawmakers are pouring money into private prisons, even as they fight to strip funding for our health care, rural schools, and social services.

Two of the largest private prison profiteers, GEO Group and CoreCivic, Inc., are making money exploiting the over policing of Black and Brown people, and our government is using our tax dollars to bankroll them.

Although the Biden administration vowed to end contracts with companies operating private prisons, those companies have found a loophole to exploit: detention centers holding immigrants for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

We cannot allow corporations to continue taking advantage of Black and Brown communities for profit.

Sign the petition: Demand our state and federal lawmakers commit to ending all contracts with private prisons.