Friday, October 29, 2010

Prison Economics Help Drive Arizona Immigration Law

An investigation by NPR has some interesting/depressing things to say about the intersection of private prison companies, political lobbying, and the drafting of immigration law, notably in the fine state of Arizona.

The law is being challenged in the courts. But if it's upheld, it requires police to lock up anyone they stop who cannot show proof they entered the country legally.When it was passed in April, it ignited a fire storm. Protesters chanted about racial profiling. Businesses threatened to boycott the state.
Supporters were equally passionate, calling it a bold positive step to curb illegal immigration.But while the debate raged, few people were aware of how the law came about. NPR spent the past several months analyzing hundreds of pages of campaign finance reports, lobbying documents and corporate records. What they show is a quiet, behind-the-scenes effort to help draft and pass Arizona Senate Bill 1070 by an industry that stands to benefit from it: the private prison industry...

The full article is available here.

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