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Texas Towns Saddled with Empty, Expensive Privatized Prisons and Jails
by Matt Clarke
In July 2011, anyone with at least $5 million to spare was invited to bid on a 373-bed, state-of-the-art, turn-key minimum-security prison on 30 acres of land in the cotton-farming town of Littlefield, Texas.
The tiny town, with a population of 6,500, agreed to build what was …
In July 2011, anyone with at least $5 million to spare was invited to bid on a 373-bed, state-of-the-art, turn-key minimum-security prison on 30 acres of land in the cotton-farming town of Littlefield, Texas.
The tiny town, with a population of 6,500, agreed to build what was …
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More from this issue:
- Florida Provides Lesson in How Not to Privatize State Prisons, by David Reutter
- Israeli Study Shows Parole Decisions May be Affected by Whether Board Members are Hungry
- Alaska Medical Care Reimbursement Statute Extends to Former Prisoners; State Refuses to Pay Part of Medical Malpractice Judgment, by Mark Wilson
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Prisoners Contribute to Flood Control Efforts in Louisiana
- Business is Booming for Prison Profiteers, by James Kilgore
- Colorado CCA Prison Uprising: New Details of Unheeded Warnings Emerge in Epic Lawsuit, by Alan Prendergast
- PLN Settles Censorship Suit Against South Carolina Jail; County Agrees to Pay $599,900 and Change Policies
- New York City Jail Considered Serving Spoiled Meat, by David Reutter
- Doctors Propose Changes to Fix Flaws in Compassionate Release Programs, by Michael Brodheim
- Alaskan Private Prison Promoter Arrested in Mexico, Extradited to U.S. on Child Sexual Abuse Charges
- California Governor Cozies up to Prison Guards and Crime Victim Advocates
- GEO Group Ends Florida PAC
- Some States Resist Implementing Adam Walsh Act Requirements
- Fight Brewing Between County Jails and Private Prisons in Kentucky
- Oregon Discontinues Failed Prisoner Deportation Program
- Rikers Island Guards File Suit Alleging Cancer-Causing Toxin Exposure, by Mark Wilson
- Private Equity Firms Profit Handsomely from Prison Phone Services
- Mother Questions Her Son’s “Natural” Death in Colorado CCA Prison, by Alan Prendergast
- Head of Missouri Jail Sentenced for Beating, Arranging Attacks on Prisoners
- CDCR Pays $12,000 to Settle California Prisoner’s Pro Se Caging Suit
- Settlement in New York City Jail Mental Health Services Case Still Alive
- Texas Prisoner on Idaho Presidential Primary Ballot in 2008, by Mark Wilson
- Washington DOC Employee Faces Ethics Complaint for Running Non-Profits on State Time Using State Resources, by Matthew Clarke
- Audit Recommends Cost-Saving Measures for Minnesota Sex Offender Program
- BOP Settles Prisoner Rape Suit for $625,000, by Brandon Sample
- Videotaped Assault at Idaho CCA Prison Sparks FBI Investigation, by Mark Wilson
- Texas Towns Saddled with Empty, Expensive Privatized Prisons and Jails, by Matthew Clarke
- Homeless New Mexico Sex Offender Arrested for Moving Out of Dumpster
- Massachusetts: Guards Suspended, Accused of Threatening to Kill Escaped Prisoner in Scheme to Generate Overtime
- FBI Looks into Relationship between GEO Group and Former Florida House Speaker, by David Reutter
- Federal Probation Officer Sexually Abused Clients, Sentenced to Ten Years, by Mark Wilson
- Prison Phone Rates Under Scrutiny by Louisiana Regulatory Agency
- New Mexico Continues to Let Understaffed Private Prisons Slide on Most Contract Violations, by Matthew Clarke
- Agreement Between Florida DOC and DOT Steals 1,000 Freeworld Jobs, by David Reutter
- Washington Prisoner Killed During Prison Industries Escape Attempt
- Oregon’s Attorney General Accused of Botched, Abusive Prosecutions, by Mark Wilson
- California Pays $10,000 to Settle Sex Abuse Suit Brought by Transgender Prisoner
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Credits Sentence with Time on Appeal Bond
- Ninth Circuit Applies Turner Test to Evaluate First Amendment Interest in Prisoners’ Receipt of Unsolicited Publications, by Michael Brodheim
- Arizona Ranchers Use Prison Labor to Construct Erosion-Prevention Dams
- Former Oregon Prison Official Faces Ethics Probe
- Study Reports on Undiagnosed HIV Infections in New York City Jails, by Matthew Clarke
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Rules Against Parole Board on Imposition of Sex Offender Restrictions on Non-Sex Offenders, by Matthew Clarke
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- News in Brief:
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026
- Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026
- Federal Court Places Medical Care in Arizona Prisons Under Receivership, May 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026
- Texas Moves to Restrict Cashless Bond and Reverse Federal Court-Ordered Misdemeanor Bail Reform, May 1, 2026
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026
- Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, April 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Monitor Says Massachusetts Prisons Will Not Meet Settlement Deadline for Mental Health Reforms, May 1, 2026. Private Prisons, DOC/BOP misconduct, Consent Decrees, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Tulsa Jail Withholds Records Related to Detainee Deaths, April 1, 2026. Private Prisons, Wrongful Death, Suicides, Access to Media, Public Records Act.
- Analysts Recommend Closing California’s Soledad Prison, April 1, 2026. Private Prisons, Cost of Prison Systems.
- More Measles Cases Detected at Jails in New Mexico and Texas, April 1, 2026. Private Prisons, Contagious Disease -- Misc., Overcrowding, Jail Specific, Immigration Detention.
- ICE Taps New Contractor to Run Deadly Detention Center in Texas, April 1, 2026. Private Prisons, Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Totality of Conditions, Immigration Detention.
- Private Prison Firm GEO Group Reports Record $254 Million Profit After New ICE Contracts, March 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, GEO Group/Wackenhut, Systemic Medical Neglect, Immigration Detention.
- News in Brief, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Private Prisons, Misconduct/Corruption, Guard Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Male Reproductive, Malpractice, Escapes, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Juvenile Prisons, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Bribery/Extortion/Theft.
- Tennessee Legislature Passes Bill to Penalize Private Prisons for High Mortality Rates, Aug. 1, 2025. Private Prisons, Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic.
- Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” Gave Massive Handouts to ICE and Private Prison Industry, Aug. 1, 2025. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, GEO Group/Wackenhut, Immigration.
- Shady Firm Awarded $78 Million Contract for Services at Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz”, Aug. 1, 2025. Private Prisons, Environmental Law, Immigration.

