After concluding they are less safe and effective.
Stephen Lam/Reuters
The U.S. Department of Justice plans to cease using private prisons after concluding the facilities are not as safe or effective as government-run correctional institutions. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates made the announcement Thursday, informing Justice officials they should decline to renew and/or phase out the scope of existing contracts—with the hopes of, in her words, “reducing—and ultimately ending—our use of privately operated prisons.” Yates added of the private facilities: “They simply do not provide the same level of correctional services, programs, and resources; they do not save substantially on costs; and as noted in a recent report by the Department’s Office of Inspector General, they do not maintain the same level of safety and security.”