Federal, state, and municipal end or decline to renew contracts with corporate actors that are responsible for training and operation of police departments and jails.
- National Police Accountability Project White Paper: Ending Privatization of Jails and Policing
Interested in advancing police accountability legislation where you live?
Contact Lauren at legal.npap@nlg.org
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How can we address privatization with an entity that is already engaged in a long-term contract?
1. How can we address privatization with an entity that is already engaged in a long-term contract?
Activists do not need to wait until a contract is up for review to take steps to keep problematic corporations out of their community. Cities and counties can enact ordinances that set their own minimum standards for jail operations, medical services, and provide policing practices. For instance, an elected body could pass an ordinance that prescribes minimum training and certification standards for any employee that works in the jail and require contractors to only employ workers that meet those standards. A more direct way to regulate contracts with private corporations would be to prohibit the city from entering into service agreements with companies that have a history of engaging in certain practices or records of past misconduct. Finally, elected officials can outright ban contracting certain services.
2. How can already overextended government officials and budgets take on the additional burden of work currently being performed by outside corporate entities?
Some government officials concerned about costs discover that they can directly provide services at nominally more expensive rates than their corporate contractor. Contracts also entail additional costs, including financial costs like lawsuits and damage to public confidence.
Government officials can also explore nonprofit options such as community health providers who can and do provide treatment for pretrial detainees. There are also nonprofit resources for policing policies.
Governments can also end reliance on private contracts by reducing their jail populations and policing activities. Cities across the country have taken steps to safely reduce their jail populations. Similarly, many cities are shrinking the roles that police play in public safety, reducing the demand for policy and training in the areas where they are shifting services.