TENNESSEE[ARTWORK]

PRISON PROFITEERING IN A NUCLEAR SHADOW

THIS IS TROUSDALE COUNTY

- Background on past prosperity -- tobacco farming, the factories that are now closed, etc (up to, but not including the nuclear plant)

- Current info on population, income and poverty levels, education levels, racial demographics, etc.

- (??) There were roughly 119 private nonfarm establishments at last count in the year 2013, and about 1056 people employed by those very establishments. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47/47169.html

HOME OF THE HARTSVILLE NUCLEAR COMPLEX

(Find picture of reactor from the 70s/80s?)

- Planned as the largest nuclear plant in the world; one of 9 reactors planned at the time

- Began construction in 1975, canceled in 1984

- Brief story of cancellation

- Costs of project and debt upon cancelation

- Brief mention of history of TVA as government intervention into private industry (to set up CCA as private intervention into state soveriegnty)

AND NOW HOME TO A HUGE PRIVATE PRISON

Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility is a 482,000 square foot prison in Hartsville, Tennessee, 50 miles outside of Nashville.

This mega-prison was built on the site of an abandoned nuclear power by Corrections Corporation of America as “a relief valve” for the Tennessee Department of Correction’s estimation of a need for an additional 3400 beds within the next 5 years amid declining rates of crime in Tennessee.

Currently, this facility has the capability to hold 2,552 prisoners at a time with plans for future additions to increase capacity.

The facility is made up of six T-shaped cellblocks that each contain approximately 360 inmates. Five of these cell blocks are general housing units and the other is a segregation housing unit, which is a solitary confinement area used for disciplinary measures.

The inmates in the general units are contained in cells 7 feet wide by 12.5 feet deep by 7.5 feet high that each contain two seats, two bunks, two TV shelves and one water closet and lavatory.

In addition to housing units, the complex also has educational and vocational facilities, recreational facilities including two gymnasiums, a kitchen and dining hall, a commissary, a chapel, a maintenance and visitation building and two inmate support buildings.

The prison will cost CCA $140 million to build…

We may need references for all this info

BUILT BY CORRECTIONS CORPORATION OF AMERICA

On January 28, 1983, Don Hutto, Tom Beasley, and Doctor Robert Crants founded CCA, the largest private prison corporation in the US.

According to Tom Beasley, CCA was designed as an opportunity to “solve the prison problem and make a lot of money at the same time” (add footnote reference). Add info re: gross revenue and profit for 2014.

Tom Beasley has family roots in the Dixon Springs area, just miles from the site of CCA’s new prison in Trousdale County. He is former chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party, and a graduate of Vanderbilt Law School. Vanderbilt was an early investor in CCA.

The current CEO of CCA is Damon Hininger, a graduate of Belmont University’s Massey School of Business and current member of Massey’s board of advisors. In 2014, he received a $3.6 million compensation package, in spite of the decrease in overall revenue (verify!).

CCA has attempted to buy the entire Tennessee prison system twice and has been rejected both times. (Put this info elsewhere, and add context?)

CCA CLAIMS TO SAVE TAXPAYERS MONEY, BUT THE EVIDENCE IS MIXED

What could we use as an image here? Maybe an infographic?

Because governmental capital allocation is often weighted heavily by constituents, the financial cost-benefit analysis of private prisons will serve as a solid point in the controversy.

The most recent data from public prisons show that mean state corrections expenditure per inmate was ~$78/day in 2010, while CCA’s revenue per inmate was ~$64/day (source: Bureau of Justice Statistics and company filings).

This initial comparison shows that private prisons can imprison inmates 20% more efficiently than the government. To compare accurately the cost to the taxpayer, we must look at cost per inmate of public prisons and revenue per inmate of private prisons.

For example, CCA often chooses low-risk (and therefore low-cost) inmates, while the government is left with the more expensive prisoners. What else? A lot has been written on this topic…

Could we find more concrete data on the cost of incarcceration in TN?

Mention Vanderbilt profs being paid by CCA to produce favorable research?

CCA’S BUSINESS MODEL IS BASED, IN PART, ON MINIMUM BED GUARANTEESIMAGE OF BED WITH A SLEEPING DOLLAR SIGN?

- Explain CCA’s business model, including “compensated man-days” (see info from Max Pearl’s research on CCA’s 10-Q, and also documents from Alex Friedmann’s organization, the Human Rights Defense Center)

- Relate concretely to the bed guarantee and per diem for Trousdale county -- (Move this info and/or revise to fit the new context?) In order to build and run the Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility, Corrections Corporation of America contracted with the county of Trousdale, who then in turn contracted with the state of Tennessee in order to circumvent the law, the Tennessee Private Prison Contracting Act. EXPLAIN! In these contracts it states that CCA will be paid a rate of $58.75 per inmate per day for the first year, with a 2.5% increase each year. They also agreed upon a 90% bed guarantee, which means that even if the beds are empty the state must pay CCA for them. This serves as an incentive for the state to keep incarceration rates high so they aren’t paying for empty beds. The state of Tennessee is paying CCA, at minimum, a total of $49,252,005 per year, which could instead finance 4,882 K-12 students to go to public school.

- In addition to targeting low-cost inmates, private prisons often choose to increase profit by cutting down on staff spending.  While requiring short training times, offering lower pay, and understaffing correctional officers does cut costs, the result is often a high turnover rate and a staff of inexperienced, underpaid workers. These staffing problems lead to high rates of violence, abuse, and death in private prisons. Can we find info re: starting wages for staff at TTCC?

- “For example, according to the 2000 Corrections Yearbook, the average starting salary for private prison guards was $17,628 while the average starting salary in public prisons was $23,002.” Can we find more recent info like this?

- Maybe mention something about what it means, politically and financially, to be registered as a Real Estate Investment Trust?

AND ITS POWER IS REINFORCED BY POLITICAL LOBBYING Use infographic from ACLU?

- Info re: local campaign donations (for ex. to Lamar Alexander, longtime friend of Tom Beasley…) See ACLU “Who is CCA?” and Nashville Scene article by Steven Hale

- Between 2002 and 2012, CCA spent $17.4 million lobbying to major governmental organizations, including the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Bureau of Prisons. Furthermore, wherever CCA lobbying occurs, racist or tough-on-crime bills follow. For example, 30 of the 36 legislators who co-sponsored the infamous tough on immigration bill in Arizona received support from CCA. Additionally, many of the legislators who supported the original three strikes bill in California where similarly supported by CCA. CCA claims that it doesn’t lobby on policies that affect “the basis or duration of an individual’s incarceration or detention,” but it clearly flouts this standard frequently, particularly in the area of immigration reform.

- Private prisons benefit from current sentencing laws and are at risk when policies are aimed at reducing incarceration. Therefore, their top priority is to perpetuate the system through lobbying and direct campaign contributions. For example, private prisons provide direct funding to ALEC, which is “an organization of state legislators that has advocated harsh sentencing and detention laws… each year, ALEC members introduce hundreds of model bills in statehouses across the country” (ACLU). Securing political favor is the key mechanism through which private prisons obtain new contracts, misappropriate more taxpayer money, and grow their business. Private prisons have limited incentive to reduce future crime, when the reduction of crime is supposed to be the primary objective of the U.S. prison system.

- Add something about the loophole in TN law, allowing only one private prison in the state? Here or elsewhere?

AND SHAREHOLDER INVESTMENTMaybe a snapshot from their stock portfolio or something like this? http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/CXW:US

I also think this statement from their annual shareholder’s report is very powerful, and should be included somewhere:

““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.”

http://www.cca.com/investors/financial-information/annual-reports

I think we should consider combining this page with the previous one by shorteneing both, and creating a longer, more philosophical digital essay on private prisons for the website.

CCA receives significant support not just from politicians, but other corporations as well. In a recent analysis of shareholders in CCA conducted by Alex Friedmann, it was found that the vast majority of stockholders in CCA are simply banks, mutual fund companies, and private equity firms.

This includes such big names as New York Mellon Corp., which owns 2.46 million shares, and Wells Fargo, which owns 6 million shares.

Clearly, CCA’s support is two-pronged, sourced from two places: in Washington, CCA receives the political support it needs to pursue tough-on-crime legislation, even if that legislation perpetuates racial profiling, xenophobia towards Mexican immigrants, or the war on drugs.

Furthermore, this support ensures that CCA can avoid any governmental investigation or regulation. And on Wall Street, CCA receives financial backing from shareholders who, because of their primarily financial nature (banks, mutual fund companies) are concerned primarily with bottom-line profits.

This ensures the CCA will receive external pressure from shareholders to pursue profits at the cost of safety or human rights, while also taking the company out of the hands of ordinary citizens and elevating it to a corporate superpower to be in relation only with the other superpowers.

(Streamline the writing here and add more concerte info re: investment if possible)

CCA HAS BEEN PLAGUED BY LAWSUITS ACROSS THE USMaybe an infographic compilation of lawsuits and scandals?

CCA has reportedly spent more than $7 million to hide its misconduct lobbying to avoid subjection to the Tennessee Records Act…

See: “Does CCA Have a Prison Murder Problem?”

http://www.nashvillescene.com/pitw/archives/2014/06/16/does-cca-have-a-prison-murder-problem

- Need more detailed info!

BUT CCA IS NOT THE FIRST PRIVATE COMPANY TO PROFIT FROM INCARCERATIONFind image of convict leasing in TN? And/or use graph of racial disparities in TN incarceration rates?

- History of convict lease system in TN, in connection to the partial abolition of slavery

- See Cody and Bennett article (on Blackboard)

OR FROM THE CAGING OF PEOPLE OF COLOR

I think we should combine this page with the previous one.

- In Tennessee, whites make up 76% of the total population and represent 51% of the prison population, whereas blacks make up 17% of the total population but represent 44% of the prison population.

- Contextualize this info re: crime rates, poverty, selective policing, war on drugs, school to prison pipeline, etc

- Use this info here, or later? According to a report published by the Very Institute of Justice on June 6 2015, Tennessee’s imprisonment rate has climbed 256% from 1981 to 2013. Maybe add second graph on increased incarceration rates?

- The recidivism rate within three years after release from prison remained constant around 46%. The report also mentions that the 10 states with the largest decreases in their imprisonment rate also experienced an average 13 percent decline in their crime rates! Suggestions include strategies to reduce recidivism and changes to sentencing laws that will use criminal justice resources more effectively and reduce crime.

SO WHY IS TROUSDALE COUNTY DOING BUSINESS WITH CCA?

BACK IN THE EARLY 1980S, ANTI-NUCLEAR ACTIVISM EMPOWERED THE COMMUNITY

Can we find a picture of the anti-nuke protests? Someone might need to go and visit Faith Young for this. I might be able to do this over TG break.

This is one of the strongest pages, so I’m reluctant to shorten it. Options include: 1) Just use more text on this page (it’s 420 words); 2) Shorten the story for the exhibition, but turn the current draft into a digital essay for the website, possibly in combination with the next slide, or with a portrait of Alex Friedmann as an anti-CCA activist. What do you think?

Also, the titles for these pages are a bit different from the sentence-like phrasing of the previous pages, but I think that’s OK because they still tell a story. But does it disrupt the narrative flow of the booklet?

BUT THE CANCELATION OF THE NUCLEAR PLANT ALSO LEFT BEHIND A CERTAIN ECONOMIC “FALLOUT”

This is also a strong page, but I think it could be shortened for the exhibition, and parts could be included in a digital essay for the website.

I don’t want to lose the “Nuclear Fallout” Pun, but this sentence does seem a bit awkward. I also don’t want to make it seem like we’re blaming the activists for TC’s economic problems. Any suggestions?

IN 2002, A BUSINESS INDUSTRIAL PARK CALLED POWERCOM WAS CREATED ON THE HARTSVILLE NUCLEAR SITE, BUT BUSINESS WAS SLOW

And/or use image of PowerCom logo (possibly modified to look even more “retro”)

- This is another strong page, but I think it could be pared down to about 250 words. Some of the info re: poverty and income in TC could be moved to p 2, although I like the contrast you draw between the money poured into PowerCom and the lack of wealth (or its uneven distrubution) in the community.

THEN IN 2008, CCA BOUGHT PART OF POWERCOM, AND THE SITE BEGAN TO SHIFT FROM WAREHOUSING THINGS TO WAREHOUSING PEOPLE

This is not the most striking image, but I’ve already used the Powercom map on another page. Any other ideas?

This is a strong page, esp with the new info from your phone conversation with Mayor Corman. This line should definitely go into the final draft: “If you’ve swallowed a nuclear plant, a prison’s real simple to swallow.” And the bit about the prison being hidden from view…

Also this ambivalence:

“I have heard a lot of talk about people saying, ‘Surely we could get something better than a prison?’ There is nothing around here right now since they took the sewing factories away and we don’t have car dealerships anymore, so we had to go broader. “ Said County Attorney Betty Lou Taylor when describing perceived dissent towards the purchase of a portion of the PowerCom lot by the CCA, or Corrections Corporation of America. The CCA purchased the lot with the express intent of opening a private prison. Taylor went on to say “Our commission and citizens around here have looked and looked for industry. We don’t have good access…including countywide internet. Still the prison wanted us, and to me, if you approve this (contract with the county), this is going to the greatest day in Trousdale County history.”

And this endorsement:

Commissioner John Oliver of District 2 points out “If we don’t approve this, they can go two miles down the road to Smith County. You will still live next to a prison, but we won’t get a dime of it.” John Oliver sees this as the culmination of political promises past. Every time we have an election for commissioners, they always run on the platform that they are going to bring jobs to our county or bring growth to Trousdale County. All we have basically done is lose jobs and industries. This is finally a good opportunity for us, and I’m all for it partially since it is in my district.”

That’s already about 300 words, but maybe the quotes can be pared down and framed to give a sense of a range of communiity responses to the prison project.

Maybe also see this - Questions were posed regarding the type of prisoners the new correctional facility plans to host, whether or not prisoners would remain in Trousdale County after fulfilling their sentences, and how the prison staff would deal with potential escapes and/or uprisings in the facility. http://www.hartsvillevidette.com/article/business/290351

OVER 1000 PRE-FAB PRISON CELLS WERE BUILT IN 2008, BUT CONSTRUCTION WAS PUT ON HOLD FOR 6 YEARS DUE TO THE GLOBAL RECESSION

Collage of images of construction and abandonment? Or should we cut this page?

- Rather than trying to address the politics of caging and the phenomenology of dwelling in 250 words or less, I propose that we submit a digital essay on this topic for the website, and keep the focus on images of industry, caging, and abandonment for the exhibition booklet.

NOW THAT THE PROJECT IS BACK ON TRACK, TROUSDALE COUNTY HOPES TO RECOVER ITS INVESTMENT

There are mixed reviews from the citizens of Trousdale County on the impact they believe that the prison opening will have on their community. Surprisingly enough, the majority perspective seems positive: many are hopeful for the added voting power, the new job openings, and the potential benefits of the CCA’s presence. Here is some background information on the tangible impact of the prison:

JOBS PROVIDED: 400

~New prison facility workers promised “competitive wages and benefits, including medical, dental and vision; life and disability insurance, a 401(K) retirement plan; and paid training and holidays”

~ Age minimum to apply: 18

~Expected to pull the majority of employees from Trousdale and neighboring counties, including Smith, Macon, Sumner, Wilson and DeKalb (from Charly Lyons, executive director of Four Lake Industrial Development Authority)

~Average Pay: $10-20 per hour wages depending on position and seniority

~Many people are excited for this in order for their families to be able to work closer to home as opposed to having a prison job elsewhere in Tennessee, according to posts from prospective employees on the CCA website

“KEEP ME POSTED PLEASE ON POSITIONS. WOULD LOVE FOR MY HUSBAND TO WORK CLOSER TO HOME.”-Shannon Barker, CCA Hartsville

SO HOW HAS CCA WON OVER TROUSDALE COUNTY AS AN “EXCELLENT NEIGHBOR”?

PROVIDED THE COMMUNITY’S HIGH SCHOOL WITH A HANDSOME AMOUNT OF MONEY AND LOCAL SUPPORT.

~“CCA PROVIDED FREE FOOTBALL TICKETS TO THE FIRST 550 FANS WHO WALKED THROUGH THE GATES. CCA ALSO PROVIDED CUSTOM-MADE SPIRIT TOWELS, WHICH FEATURED A YELLOW JACKET, THE TEAM MASCOT. BEFORE THE GAME BEGAN, HININGER PRESENTED ANOTHER CHECK IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,000 TO TROUSDALE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL'S HEAD FOOTBALL COACH KEVIN CREASY FOR THE QUARTERBACK CLUB.”

~CCA PROVIDED A “$15,000 CHECK FOR TROUSDALE COUNTY SCHOOLS TO SUPERINTENDENT CLINT SATTERFIELD”.

CCA’S DONATION TO THE WATER UTILITY PLANT TO BUILD MORE BRIDGES AND PIPELINES

Maybe include this chart re: employment in TC, and/or the chart that Amenah made for her page? https://tennessee.reaproject.org/analysis/comparative-trends-analysis/total_employment/reports/470169/470000/ - page_3

Maybe also talk about potential negative impact on residents of TC? Draw on Ruth Gimore’s work on rural prisons in CA, plus the Huling article on rural prisons in Upstate NY

BUT AT WHAT COST?

Infographic of prisoners’ voices and/or photos –

- “It is both immoral and unethical to incarcerate people for the purpose of generating corporate profit, but those with no morals or ethics fail to grasp that simple concept.” Alex Friedmann, Managing Editor of Prison Legal News and Associate Director of the Human Rights Defense Center, formerly incarcerated at CCA’s South Central Correctional Center

“Private prisons amount to modern day slavery in my mind. Human bodies are being used for profit by white men running a business that traffics flesh.” Rahim Buford, released from a Tennessee prison in -----.

“When I’m left alone by myself, I get depressed real fast. I get to thinking that no one wants to be around me because I’m not worth their time.” Drac Payne, released from a Tennessee prison in January 2015

- Has anyone interviewed family members of people who are currently- or formerly-incarcerated from Cayce Homes or elsewhere?

Prisoners

Imagine you come down with a cold, and your doctor prescribes cold medicine for you that makes you sicker. This is precisely the result that mass incarceration has in America. Instead of solving the underlying problems that cause individuals to commit crimes in the first place, prisons induce mental health problems in prisoners, foster a dependency on the institution and its structure, and in many cases, lead to recidivism.

Prisons affect the prisoners in many profound and negative ways. While inside, prisons deprive individuals of much sensory stimuli, disallow them from making their own decisions, and often lead to mental health issues that were not before present. After release, the individual still carries the impact of the prison on their shoulders. They have to relearn socialization while also coping with symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder caused by the harsh conditions inside prisons. On top of this, they must attempt to find jobs in a job market that discriminates against them. With all this looming over their heads, it is no wonder why recidivism rates are so high.

Prisoners’ Families (Or do we need another page for this? If so, what would we cut out?)

• According to University of Minnesota’s Children, Youth & Family Consortium, “[c]hildren of incarcerated parents are at increased risk for both internalizing (e.g., depression, anxiety, withdrawal) and externalizing (e.g., delinquency, substance abuse) behavior problem, cognitive delays, and difficulties in school…” (Shlafer 2013). An estimated 1.75 million children have a currently incarcerated parent in the U.S., and rather than expanding visitation and rehabilitation programs, CCA’s prisons have systematically phased out in-person visitation in favor of video visitation. This system charges up to $1.50 per minute for visits and provides an unreliable connection. One can compare this number to the reported $1.00 inmates make per day in wages to see how little effort CCA has made to improve familial connections in their prisons (Prison Policy Initiative 2015).

• Rural location so they can't visit (transportation)

(This all needs to be fleshed out in more detail, with specific reflections on what it might mean to be incarcerated in Trousdale County in particular, and/or in a CCA prison)

AND WHAT OTHER POSSIBILITIES COULD WE CREATE FOR COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT AND INVESTMENT, BEYOND ECONOMIC DEPENDENCE ON CARCERAL INSTITUTIONS?

The Tennessee Department of Correction is planning to build 3,400 prison beds in next 5 years. What are the alternatives to prison expansion, and who is already wrorking to imagine and implement these alternatives in Tennessee?

- Insert shortened version of the page called “Alternatives: Community-Building and Empowerment” – And possibly include a longer digital essay on this topic for the web platform

- Here’s a wacky idea: We could show people in the community (starting on campus) a copy of our draft booklet to educate them about CCA and the TTCC, then ask them to imagine alternatives to building more prisons -- Maybe use the image on the left and ask people what they would want to create in that space, or create artwork based on that image, or compile an infographic of community responses to our survey. Or we could create a different image of community empowerment...

- What else could we do to support community awareness and empowerment around the issues raised in this booklet, beyond the HAL exhibition?