Sanders Set To Unveil Plan To Abolish Private Prisons

by Austin Petersen

By Juliegrace Brufke

Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders is set to introduce his prison reform plan in the Senate next week, calling for an end to privatized prisons.

The democratic presidential hopeful, who has been gaining ground on Hillary Clinton, said the current criminal justice system is “broken” and has made it a key issue in his campaign.

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According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 8 percent of the total prison population is held in private prisons as of 2013. A large portion of those held in the facilities were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Vermont politician’s campaign claims.

“My legislation will eliminate federal, state and local contracts for privately run prisons within 2 years. It will reinstate the federal parole system. It will increase oversight and eliminate the overcharging of prisoners by private companies for banking and other services,” Sanders said in a statement.

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Critics of the senator’s legislation argue eliminating for-profit prisons could take its toll on the American taxpayer and question the legality of Congress’ ability to abolish privatized prisons on a state and local level.

David Muhlhausen, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said unionization of correctional employees drives up the costs of federal facilities.

“The efficiency of private prisons has been studied for decades, private prisons save the taxpayer 10 percent,” he said. “As far as the taxpayer is concerned, it’s a possibility eliminating private prisons will drive up taxes.”

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Austin Petersen is a homegrown Missourian with a lifelong passion for liberty. He grew up on a horse farm in Peculiar, Missouri and went on to attend Missouri State University, graduating with a degree in the Fine Arts. After developing a career in media in both New York City and Washington, D.C., he returned to Kansas City, MO, the city he now calls home. In 2016, Petersen appeared on the national stage as a candidate for president of the United States. He took second place in the crowded Libertarian primary behind Governor Gary Johnson and ahead of cyber security maverick John McAfee. During his campaign, Petersen earned many high-profile conservative endorsements, including Mary Matalin, Erick Erickson and Leon Wolf of RedState.com. Petersen also brings decades of professional experience in a wide variety of fields, from content production and media to business and political activism. He is the owner and chief executive of Stonegait LLC, a consulting firm specializing in photo and video services. He was also the director of production at FreedomWorks and an associate producer for Judge Andrew Napolitano’s show “Freedom Watch” on the Fox Business Network. Additionally, Petersen has a national following as a commentator and professional pundit. He is the founder of The Libertarian Republic, a powerful online news source for the public that receives an average of 1 million unique visits monthly and whose podcast, The Freedom Report, receives an average of one million monthly downloads. He is also a frequent contributor on television, appearing on Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, MSNBC and on dozens of local radio shows.

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