I was disappointed to learn that humorist Charley Memminger, my former Star-Bulletin colleague and creator of “Charley’s World” and other gems, is now a pitchman for private prison operator, Corrections Corporation of America.
That’s the company that makes millions annually housing Hawaii inmates in its private mainland facilities.
It really isn’t as funny as other parts of Charley’s world.
When I asked about it, Charley said he is not a spokesman for the controversial company.
I basically do community outreach, speaking to various groups about the CCA-Hawaii partnership, how it works, why it’s needed, etc.
Hmmmm. Maybe he’s not a spokesman for the company. A salesman might be the better label.
Charley went on:
I had them make a video that takes viewers inside the Saguaro facility. It is nothing like what critics claim. It is state of the art and built exclusively for Hawaii inmates. All prisons have their problems but Saguaro isn’t like other mainland prisons where prisoners are allowed to segregate themselves racially and by gang affiliation.
A quick search turned up Charley’s earlier appearances before groups like the Oahu League of Republican Women (no, that’s not him in the photo, but their website includes a helpful link to Charley’s email for “groups that would be interested in learning more about Hawaii’s prisons in Arizona”) and the Pearlridge Rotary.
Of course, non-spokesman Charley glosses over the problems with CCA and the private, imprisonment-for-profit model.
A report to shareholders last year spells out “risk factors” faced by the company, including changes in criminal justice policies.
The demand for our facilities and services could be adversely affected by the relaxation of enforcement efforts, leniency in conviction or parole standards and sentencing practices or through the decriminalization of certain activities that are currently proscribed by our criminal laws. For instance, any changes with respect to drugs and controlled substances or illegal immigration could affect the number of persons arrested, convicted, and sentenced, thereby potentially reducing demand for correctional facilities to house them. Legislation has been proposed in numerous jurisdictions that could lower minimum sentences for some non-violent crimes and make more inmates eligible for early release based on good behavior. Also, sentencing alternatives under consideration could put some offenders on probation with electronic monitoring who would otherwise be incarcerated. Similarly, reductions in crime rates could lead to reductions in arrests, convictions and sentences requiring incarceration at correctional facilities.
And that, of course, means that CCA has to meddle in politics to protect its business interests. Here’s the company’s sanitized description.
At CCA, we believe that participation in the political process is an important and appropriate part of our partnership relations efforts. We must educate federal, state and local officials on the benefits of partnership corrections, CCA’s ability to assist them in meeting their corrections needs and our track record of success.
A less generous version can be found in “Gaming the System,” a recent report on the private prison industry by the Washington, D.C.-based Justice Policy Institute, which examines the “three-pronged approach to influencing policy, creating more incarceration, and making more money” through campaign contributions, lobbying, and building relationships.
There are lots of other critical reports on CCA, but perhaps I’ll just come back to those later.
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I’m suspicious of any corporate business model that categorizes the reduction of overkill criminal sentencing for simple drug possession a “risk” to their future profitability.
I wonder if these guys make political contributions in jurisdictions where they elect judges?
I’m with you on that!
I think it’s a good idea to distinguish which is cause and which is effect. The fact that a politician votes in favor of legislation I like might cause me to contribute to his campaign; but the fact that I contribute to a political campaign does not necessarily cause the politician to vote the way I want him to vote.
Every company that has shares of stock that are publicly traded is required by law to publish periodic reports disclosing to potential investors the business risks investors should take into consideration that could affect the value of the stock. The disclosure of those risks does not imply that the company will engage in political activity to diminish those risks in ways that would be detrimental to the public interest. For example, a company that sells medicine to relieve the symptoms of whatdakine cancer should disclose to investors that there’s a government research program underway which has a good chance of discovering a cure for whatdakine cancer; but disclosing that investment risk does not imply that the company will hire vandals to sabotage the research laboratory nor even that the company will launch a political campaign to stop government funding for the research program.
Private schools often have lower per-pupil operating expenses even while the kids get a far better education than public schools. Private schools have a business risk that public schools might improve their performance so much that parents send their kids to public schools. That does not imply that private schools will spend money to lobby the legislature to cut the budget for public schools.
Prisons are good. I want the bad guys locked up so I can be safe. A private profit-making prison might provide better living conditions for the inmates and greater security for the public due to the fact that the administrators and workers are motivated to do their jobs well because they take pride in their work and so they will get their contract renewed in the face of public scrutiny. A private prison can try out inmate programs and administrative policies and change the way they operate without waiting years for entrenched political bureaucracies to make decisions. A government-run prison might have administrative bureaucrats and unionized labor force who care only about union work rules, seniority, and keeping their jobs until their retirement pension kicks in. It doesn’t trouble me at all if a private for-profit prison spends money on public relations to influence public opinion regarding sentencing and how prisons are run. “Let a thousand flowers bloom.” Let private prisons compete against government prisons to see which ones have better outcomes for the public and for the inmates.
Mahalo Ian, this is truly disturbing, and yet quite interesting, that Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) has hired a humorist for their ‘community outreach’. As all people of good will know, prisons are no laughing matter.
The factors that CCA quoted as ‘risks’ (leniency in conviction or parole standards and sentencing practices or through the decriminalization of certain activities that are currently proscribed by our criminal laws) directly address Hawai`i’s incarcerated population as the findings of the independent analysts for the Justice Reinvestment Initiative have reported. A large portion of Hawai`i’s incarcerated population is primarily composed of people with drug offenses, many of whom are in CCA prisons in Eloy, Arizona (Saguaro and Red Rock). As of December 5th, 247 of these men are incarcerated for technical parole violations, primarily for dirty drug screens.
Private prisons pay fast food wages (as evidenced by some of the staff supplementing their pay with illegal activities such as those of the drug counselor at Otter Creek busted for trafficking in crystal meth at the prison and staff at Florence Correctional Center bringing in crystal meth, etc.) and private prison staff have 35% fewer training hours than public prison staff (Camp – The Corrections Yearbook 2000 (2001)). Private prisons have been found to have higher levels of escapes, disturbances, and drug use. (Camp and Gaes, Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2001)
It’s interesting that Mr. Memminger spoke to the O`ahu League of Republican Women, when the bi-partisan Women’s Legislative Caucus in Hawai`i has advocated on behalf of our women home who were in CCA’s Otter Creek Correctional Center in Kentucky, where many Hawai`i and Kentucky women were sexually assaulted by CCA staff, including the Chaplain.
There have been numerous deaths at the CCA prisons in Arizona and private prisons have higher levels of operational problems and a comparative lack of access to inmate programs, such as educational, vocational, and counseling programs, which lead to inmate idleness and a lack of preparation for reentry. (Green, Coyle 2003)
Currently more than 47% of Hawai`i’s prison population (those incarcerated for more than one year) are serving their sentences in CCA prisons.
To call the $45.5 million a year CCA contract a ‘partnership’ is insulting. Our legislature creates public policy, not CCA. CCA is a contractor, not a partner, just as any other vendor providing a service to Hawai`i. Their long-time lobbyists, John Radcliffe and George ‘Red’ Morris are working the back rooms of the capitol to enrich their clients, which is why at one time CCA had on its website, “Three Strikes, A Home Run”. As Governor Abercrombie has said during his campaign and in his administration, sending our people thousands of miles from home is immoral.
Mr. Conklin, there is a plethora of research out there about the purported ‘cost savings’ – it has been proven that there is little difference. The biggest difference is that there is NO PUBLIC SCRUTINY of private prisons. In fact, they have fought tooth and nail to stop any legislation that would provide the same level of openness as a public prison.
I don’t know. If these corporations didn’t run the jails the government would and at greater cost. Let’s leave our guys to do what they are really good at…maintaining roads, fixing sewers, efficient trash disposal and education.
Ha! Good one, Richard.
I never thought Memminger was funny in the first place and now can’t help but see the irony that he is now a prison “salesman”. I would like to hear more about his “community outreach”. What does that mean? Goes around town speaking to groups about the benefits of his prison over OCCC?? LOL.
So soon we forget: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/us/13judge.html
If we have to get abused by a police state I hope it’s for some reason more grandiose than an old fart lining his pockets.
Ian, you should host a sit down.
Me, Memminger, Kat and your wife. Ken too. I do like Atomic Monkey’s remark but don’t know his credentials.
We could argue the issues fully.
I believe you’d write something different about Charley and his job after learning all the views first hand and that your readers would also benefit.
Best,
JL
The private prison in Elroy where Hawaii prisoners are incarcerated is not subject to Arizona prison regulations and protections as would a prison housing Arizona citizns. It’s one reason CCA put it there. It’s also far from Hawaii and the possibility of state oversight. In other words, no one is protecting the prisoners from the abuses that have been reported.
Just another move to privatize what historically was a public function.
Ken,I just wish that all the “bad guys” were locked up so we could feel safe. However, GWB, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Obama ,most of Congress, Wallstreet CEO’s, Big Bank CEO’s etc. are still running loose making havic of the economy and peoples lives…..