Also attending will be at least one representative from Corrections Corporation of America, the Nashville company that owns and operates a worldwide network of private prisons, including the one in California City. Obviously we oppose it. He said the bill would have a negative impact on public safety because it would leave the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Immigration and Naturalization Service without a place to house prisoners in California. Besides the public-safety issue, Owen said the bill also would have an adverse effect on the city's economy, displacing workers at a time when it's often difficult to attract businesses to small communities like California City. Public safety is exactly the reason SB 1217 was written, because it fills the gap left by SB 1222, which prohibits the importing of state prisoners, said Ryan Sherman, a former legislative analyst for the state's prison guard union who now works for Romero.
Private prisons are bad public policy.
Both the California Correctional Peace Officers Association and Corrections U.S.A. are sponsoring the bill, which is supported by several law enforcement agencies. Private prison companies Corrections Corporation of America, Wackenhut Corrections and Cornell Cos. Inc. oppose it. If the bill successfully navigates the Senate and Assembly, officials say it could reach the governor's desk for signing by September.