I know the pressure was intense to close the Lorton Correctional Complex in Virginia, but here again this bill makes the federal bureaucracy responsible for absorbing the District's prison population. While the bill incorporates provisions for privatization, I believe the record will show that the Bureau of Prisons has consistently stood in the way of increased privatization in the Federal prison system. I have no reason to believe they will have a different response with regard to the Lorton prisoners. Many may not know that the District of Columbia was already engaged in a program to privatize the corrections function and has already entered into private contracts for housing 2,400 prisoners. I am disturbed that Congress has substituted its judgment for the District's in this instance without evaluating whether the District's privatization initiative for corrections would work.
Privatization can save valuable taxpayer dollars.
In conclusion, while this D.C. Revitalization Act is the result of a major, almost unprecedented effort by many with the best interest of the citizens of the District in mind, the reforms will require some additional thought and work to make the package live up to its full potential.