June 20, 2020

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Day 1 Alliance issued the following statement by National Spokesperson Alexandra Wilkes on a lawsuit filed in federal court in Arizona:

“Day 1 Alliance members are part of the solution to serious challenges facing the public correctional system – not the problem – and every day provide innovative re-entry programming helping tens of thousands of incarcerated men and women prepare to successfully re-enter their communities.

“The plaintiffs have it entirely backwards: The reason governments first began utilizing public-private partnerships in the 1980s was to address unsafe and unconstitutional conditions in the public correctional system — including severe prison overcrowding and aging facilities that were endangering the lives of incarcerated men and women. In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2011 that overcrowding in California public prisons violated the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment, where one inmate was needlessly dying every week due to these unconstitutional conditions. Day 1 Alliance members were then, and are today, a key part of the solution to this serious public policy challenge.

“For more than 35 years, private sector contractors have partnered with local, state and federal governments led by Democrats and Republicans – including Presidents ranging from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama, and in Arizona, from Governors ranging from Fife Symington to Janet Napolitano. The notion that they would somehow be engaged in the activity this lawsuit alleges is a terrible smear.

“The lawsuit also gets key facts about Day 1 Alliance members wrong:

• “Private sector contractors are part of the solution to recidivism, investing millions of dollars into innovative programs that help prepare incarcerated men and women to successfully re-enter their communities upon release. Every day, Day 1 Alliance members serve tens of thousands of inmates with rehabilitation, education, faith-based and other re-entry programming – totaling millions of hours per year.

• “It is judges, parole boards, and state and federal corrections officials who determine the length and conditions of an individual’s incarceration, not contractors. Day 1 Alliance members have long-standing, zero-tolerance policies against lobbying for or against policies, regulations, or legislation that impact the basis for or duration of an individual’s incarceration or detention.

• “All aspects of how contractor-run correctional facilities operate, and the standards to which they are held, are governed by signed contracts with our government partners – from the disciplinary system to staffing levels to nutrition, among many others.

• “Private sector contractors operate with multiple levels of oversight at the federal, state, and local levels. This includes regular review and audit processes and hundreds of onsite government employees serving as facility monitors to ensure accountability. Many facilities are also scrutinized by the independent American Correctional Association, which thoroughly audits facilities, staff, and services, as well as other independent accreditation entities.”

ABOUT THE DAY 1 ALLIANCE:

The Day 1 Alliance (D1A) is a trade association representing private sector contractors helping address corrections and detention challenges in the United States. For more than 35 years, D1A members have worked with local, state, and federal governments led by members of both political parties to provide professional, humane, and respectful treatment to incarcerated and detained individuals. From day one, we understand we have a responsibility to provide safe and dignified care to those in our facilities. D1A members do not lobby for or against policies, regulations, or legislation that impact the basis for or duration of an individual’s incarceration or detention.

The founding members of the Day 1 Alliance are CoreCivic, The GEO Group, and Management & Training Corporation.

Learn more at day1alliance.org and follow us on Twitter @TheDay1Alliance.

Media inquiries:
contact@day1alliance.org

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