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Private Prison Company Pays to Play; Federal Election Commission Fails to Act
by Christopher Zoukis
GEO Group, one of the nation’s largest for-profit prison companies, donated $225,000 to the pro-Trump Super PAC Rebuilding America Now during the 2016 election cycle. Within a few months after President Trump’s inauguration, in April 2017, GEO was awarded a $110 million federal contract to …
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More from this issue:
- $12.5 Million to Settle Class Action Suit Over Strip Searches of NYC Jail Visitors, by Anthony Accurso
- Washington State: Jail Phone Rates Increase as Video Replaces In-Person Visits, by Steve Horn, Iris Wagner
- Florida: Federal Prison Guard Sentenced for Accepting Bribe, by Monte McCoin
- Class-action Settlement in Mississippi “Debtors’ Prison” Case, by Derek Gilna
- Colorado Accused of Failing to Comply with Settlement in Mental Health Care Suit, by Derek Gilna
- California Attorney Specializes in Representing Prisoners Victimized by Fraud, by Monte McCoin
- Angola Prison Lawsuit Poses Question: What Kind of Medical Care do Prisoners Deserve?, by Amanda Aronczyk, Katie Rose Quandt
- Pro se Texas Prisoner Wins $250,550 Default Judgment in Use of Force Case, by Edward Lyon
- Humanism to be Recognized as Approved Faith in North Carolina Prisons, by Kevin Bliss
- Louisiana Jail Settles with DOJ Over HIV Discrimination, by Dale Chappell
- Rhode Island: Life-sentenced Prisoner is “Civilly Dead,” Cannot Pursue Tort Claim, by Christopher Zoukis
- Florida ICE Detention Center Restricts Detainees’ Observance of Ramadan, by Steve Horn
- Australian Woman Gives Birth in Cell After Guards Can’t Unlock the Door, by Monte McCoin
- Low Pay, High Staff Turnover Drive Texas Prison Guard Shortage, by Matthew Clarke
- Nebraska County, Jail Medical Provider Settle Suit Over Medication Denial for $10,000, by Matthew Clarke
- Iowa Prison Guard Wins $2 Million on Retaliation, Disability Accommodation Claims, by Edward Lyon
- New York: $100,000 to Settle Suit over Rape of Trans Prisoner Held in Men’s Prison, by Christopher Zoukis
- Lawsuit Over Prisoner Assault at Tennessee Jail Results in Settlement, Dismissal, by Kevin Bliss
- Ninth Circuit Modifies Deliberate Indifference Analysis for Pretrial Detainees’ Inadequate Medical Care Claims, by Matthew Clarke
- Landmark Stanford Prison Experiment Criticized as a Sham, by Steve Horn
- U.S. Marshals Capture Fugitive Former Prison Guard After 10 Years on the Run, by Monte McCoin
- Kentucky Reluctantly Returns to Prison Privatization
- New Jersey County Pays $95,000 to Female Lawyer “Wanded” Between Legs at Jail, by Christopher Zoukis
- Federal Jury Awards $6 Million to Epileptic Colorado Prisoner, but New Trial Ordered, by Matthew Clarke
- $10 Million Class-action Lawsuit Against Virginia Jail Results in $725,000 Settlement, by R. Bailey
- HRDC Files Censorship Suit Against New Mexico Jail; Court Orders Dismissal Based on Mootness, by Steve Horn
- Florida Lawyer Arrested for Jail Porn Escapades
- Two Former Oklahoma Death Row Prisoners Obtain $3.15 Million Settlement, by Derek Gilna
- Jury Awards North Carolina Prisoner $15,000 for Staff Sexual Assault
- Formerly Incarcerated Chef Plans to Revolutionize Ramen, by Steve Horn
- Kentucky Law Requiring Abused Spouse to Pay for Abuser’s Divorce Attorney Abolished
- Fifth Circuit Upholds Convictions of Louisiana Jail Staff for Failing to Stop Abuse, by Matthew Clarke
- North Carolina Fined $190,000 for Mismanagement of Prescription Medication, by Monte McCoin
- Arizona: Lawsuit Spurs Significant Reforms for Death Row Prisoners, by Derek Gilna
- Oregon County Pays $2.85 Million for Dehydration Death of Mentally Ill Jail Prisoner, by Dale Chappell
- Black Liberation Army Members Convicted of Murdering Cops Granted Parole, by Christopher Zoukis
- Editorial: The Case Against Florida’s Amendment 4 on Felon Voting Rights, by Paul Wright
- Private Prison Company Pays to Play; Federal Election Commission Fails to Act, by Christopher Zoukis
- The Big Business of Prisoner Care Packages: Inside the Booming Market for Food in Pouches, by Taylor Elizabeth Eldridge
- Solitary Confinement Reforms Sweeping the Nation but Still Not Enough, by Christopher Zoukis
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Advocacy Groups Call for End to Ban on In-person Visits at Tennessee Jail
- News in Brief
- US Parole Activists Aim to Overhaul a Failing System, by Jean Trounstine
More from Christopher Zoukis:
- The Contraband Wars Prison authorities target books and mail, miss the goods coming through the staff door, July 1, 2021
- Trump v. Biden on Criminal Justice, Oct. 1, 2020
- Coronavirus in Prison: The Cruel Reality, Aug. 1, 2020
- With Lives of Immigrant Detainees at Risk to COVID-19, Federal Judge Forces ICE’s Hand, July 1, 2020
- A Nation on the Brink, June 15, 2020
- Federal Court Slams Michigan Jail for Bungling COVID-19 Pandemic, Demands Names of Vulnerable Prisoners for Release, June 1, 2020
- Silence: The Bureau of Prisons’ Pathetic Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, June 1, 2020
- New York Judge Orders Release of 18 Rikers Island Detainees Due to COVID-19 Risk, June 1, 2020
- Coronavirus: A Nationwide Survey of the Push for Early Release as Pandemic Fears Grow, May 1, 2020
- California Three-Judge Court Denies Emergency Motion to Reduce Prison Population During Pandemic, May 1, 2020
More from these topics:
- Airconditioning Failure at Troubled ICE Detention Center in New Jersey, Aug. 1, 2026. GEO Group/Wackenhut, Food, Water, Sanitation, Exposure to Heat.
- Tuberculosis Outbreak, Protester Shooting at Colorado ICE Lockup, Aug. 1, 2026. GEO Group/Wackenhut, Contagious Disease -- Misc., Exposure to Heat, Shootings, Immigration Detention.
- SCOTUS Shuts Down GEO Group Bid for Immunity in Suit by Colorado ICE Detainees, July 1, 2026. GEO Group/Wackenhut, Prison Labor, Sovereign Immunity, Interlocutory Appeals, Immigration Detention.
- Ohio Supreme Court Rules that Sheriff Did Not Violate Open Records Act and Declines to Award Damages to Prisoner, June 1, 2026. GEO Group/Wackenhut, Contempt (Civil Procedure), Disclosure of Records, Public Records, Public Records Act.
- Prison Profiteer The GEO Group Accused of Refusing Health Inspections at Detention Facility Despite Court Ruling, June 1, 2026. GEO Group/Wackenhut, Food, Water, Injunctions, Immigration Detention.
- Texas Moves to Restrict Cashless Bond and Reverse Federal Court-Ordered Misdemeanor Bail Reform, May 1, 2026. Conditions of Confinement, Money/Property, Bail/Pretrial Release, Civil Rights Actions or Offenses/Bivens Actions, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
- 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.
- Special Digital Currencies Issue: Bitcoin and CBDCs What Is Bitcoin? The Answer to Government Surveillance and Control Through Money An Essential Introduction, Glossary of Multidisciplinary Terminology, and Colorful History, Aug. 15, 2025. Money/Property, Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance, Money Laundering/Structuring.
- From the Editor, Aug. 15, 2025. Money/Property, Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance, Money Laundering/Structuring.
- Central Bank Digital Currencies: Trojan Horses Delivering Mass Surveillance Under the Guise of Monetary Innovation, Aug. 15, 2025. Money/Property, Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance, Money Laundering/Structuring.

