Congressional Black Caucus Institute Takes CoreCivic Cash, Boosts Policies That Help Private Prisons
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) says it wants to ban private prison companies that profit from mass incarceration, as do many criminal justice reformers. The caucus states on its website that banning private prisons is part of its agenda for the current session of Congress, and it has posted on Facebook recently in support of cities that end their contracts with private prison companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group, scoring hundreds of likes each time.
Despite its public statements, the caucus’ affiliated institute has financial ties to CoreCivic, a private prison company that activists say stands in opposition to reforming the criminal justice system.
In a lobbying contribution report filed with the House of Representatives, CoreCivic disclosed donating $25,000 in “honorary expenses” to the CBC-linked Congressional Black Caucus Institute (CBCI) on April 15, 2019. The filing lists CBCI chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and CBCI board members Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Cedric Richmond (D-La.), the former chair of the CBC, as honorees. CoreCivic made a similar donation of $25,000 to CBCI in 2018.
CBCI is one of several affiliated entities that are legally distinct from the Congressional Black Caucus but share personnel and operate under the caucus’ brand and banner. CBCI says its mission is to “educate today’s voters and train tomorrow’s leaders,” and according to tax documents its main activities are candidate training, policy research, and an annual conference.
Read more: https://prospect.org/article/congressional-black-caucus-institute-takes-corecivic-cash-boosts-policies-help-private
(The American Prospect)