Podcast Script

Script:
“Hello there ladies and gentlemen! My name is Tanner
DeLaCruz, and welcome to the show.”
“Today, we are going to be covering Political Corruption in
Private Prisons, and how it may affect you, or someone
you may know.”
“I know, boo, political corruption, but hear me out, some of
these facts may just surprise or interest you, (or maybe
not)”
“Okay, so, first off, Political Corruption is when an elected
official, or someone with political power, uses that power
for things that will most likely have a negative impact on
the community and its people.”
“And Private Prisons are correctional facilities that are
contracted with privately owned corporations.”
“Now, how does this affect you? Well, depending on if you
live in the state of Texas, or just in the United States, the
effects may vary.”
“I’ll start with if you live in Texas.”
“Let’s imagine we’re in the year 2006, the iPhone 4 hasn’t
been released yet, and we still had two years until the first
Iron Man movie came out.”
“This year, in Willacy County, in a city called
Raymondville, there opened a new private prison, that
earned the name; Tent City, but was also known as Ritmo
or Gitmo.”
“This place really lived up to its name, imagine that you’re
in a large, hot, and desert-like piece of land in the middle
of the summer.”
“Now I want you to imagine that all you can see in all
directions are medium sized tents, that are colored a
revolting shade of green, and underneath each of these
tents are bunk-beds, that’s it.”
“That was what it was like to be in Tent City, which soon
became famous for being one of the most inhumane
prisons in the country.”
“In 2008, there were many filed complaints from the
inmates about the conditions they were kept in, how when
it rained, there would be water that came into the tents
and bring mold and other, more alive things with it.”
“In the end, there were about 3,000 inmates that were
housed there in that wretched place, in 2015, there was a
large riot among the inmates that caused the facility to
close down for repairs, and 90% of the staff was laid off
from it.”
“That is just one example from the countless other
facilities that are just as bad, if not worse, than this.”
“Tent City was privately owned by the MTC (Management
and Training Corporation), who specialize in training
people of most ages for working in prisons and other jobs
as well.”
“Let’s just say that the MTC doesn’t have the cleanest of
records when it comes to privately owned prisons.”
“The MTC currently owns an estimated 25 correctional
facilities in the United States, and they are estimated to
make nearly $48 million a year so they can run the lock-up
for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.”
“Okay, so how does this all affect you? Well, private
prisons are believed to be more cost efficient than public,
or state owned prisons.”
“This means that instead of being run by people that
represent our state and the people who live there, they are
being run by businessmen.”
“7% of state inmates and 18% of federal prisoners were in
the custody of for-profit corporations, according to the
Bureau of Justice in 2015.”
“These kinds of businessmen have no problem keeping
these 18% unnecessarily in the justice system for a lot
longer than they need to be, just so they can be paid
more, not only that, but it’s looks bad and makes their job
harder when their inmates were incarcerated for larger
crimes, so they allow them to be released way earlier than
they need to be.”
“Okay, speaking of businessmen, now I’ll move onto how
this may affect you as a US citizen.”
“Donald Trump was originally a businessman, before he
was elected president. Well, technically, he still is a
businessman.”
“So recently, the Bureau of Prisons has leaked a memo
that said Donald Trump has requested that they transfer
low-security male, non-american citizens with nine months
or less left on their sentences, to private prisons owned by
the bureau.”
“It is estimated that the Bureau of Prisons currently owns
11 correctional facilities around the US, and 9 of those
facilities are run by CoreCIVIC and the GEO.”
“CoreCIVIC and the GEO, who just so happened to
donate around $250,000 - $475,000 to Trump’s election
campaign, and his inauguration.”
“Even more recently, the Bureau of Prisons, on a phone
call, told many of their facility administrators that they need
to lay off about 13% of their employees, which rounds to
about 5,500 jobs.”
“So as you all can see, political corruption is a real issue,
and something that can have a large effect on you or
someone that you may know, probably in a way that you
wouldn’t like.”
“But you can do something about it, when the next election
day rolls around, and you see who may be running, all you
need to do is go online, and do some research on the
policies they might be promoting, and how similar policies
may have had a negative impact in the past.”
“That way, we can further prevent things from being
implemented into the law that may have a harsh impact
our community.”
“Alright guys that’s all the time I have for today, thanks so
much for listening, and don’t forget to vote smart!”
Notes/Facts:
● Tent City, private prison, owned by MTC, very abusive/corrupt,
Wallacy County, Elected officials want it back, opened in 2006, riot in
2015 caused closing
● Private prisons are owned by privately owned businesses that make
contracts with the elected officials of the state, or the country, etc.
● Private prisons believed to make more money for more people than
public prisons.
● MTC is a business that owns a lot of different private prisons that
have been previously sued by other companies or people.
● MTC estimated to receive nearly $48 million a year from the
community taxes so that they can run the lockup for the Federal
Bureau of Prisons.
● 2,800 inmates transferred from Willacy County after riot in February
20, and around 90% of the staff has been unemployed due to prison
being repaired.
● Inmates complained to delegation about the conditions they were
kept in, rubbery tents, water running in and growing mold, creatures
coming into the tents in 2008.
● MTC is under contracts with an estimated 25 correctional facilities in
the United States.
● An estimated 7% of state inmates and 18% of federal prisoners were
in the custody of for-profit companies, according to the Bureau of
Justice Statistics in 2015.
● In 2015, the United States’ estimated general expenditure on
corrections was $51,725,417,000.
● In 2015, the state of Texas’ estimated general expenditure on
corrections was $3,848,268,000.
● Trump administration is requesting inmates be transferred from
Public correctional facilities, to privately owned/ contracted prisons.
 ● The administration has given a boost to the private prison industries,
which just so happened to have donated hundreds of thousands of
dollars toward Trump’s inauguration and his election campaign.
● At the moment, there are around 11 private prisons that are owned by
the Bureau of Prisons, and 9 of them are being run by both
CoreCIVIC, and the GEO, who donated around $250,000 - $475,000
to the president’s inauguration and his election campaign.
● Recently, the Bureau of Prisons, on a phone call, told prison
administrators to prepare to cut around 13% of their employees, aka
about 5,500 jobs.

MLA CITATIONS:

Kyckelhahn, Tracey. “State Corrections Expenditures, FY 1982-2010.”

Bureau of Justice Statistics, 10 Dec. 2012,
www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=4556.

Dominguez, Astrid. “A Private Prison Already Failed This Texas County.

And Now Officials Want It Back?” American Civil Liberties Union, American
Civil Liberties Union, 3 Mar. 2017,
www.aclu.org/blog/prisoners-rights/cruel-inhuman-and-degrading-
conditions/private-prison-already-failed-texas.
 Motivans, Mark. “Federal Justice Statistics, 2013 Statistical Tables.”
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), 23 Mar. 2016,
www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5874.

Gill, Lauren. “Trump Administration Giving Boost to Private Prison

Campaign Donors, Leaked Memo Shows.” Newsweek, 30 Jan. 2018,
www.newsweek.com/trump-private-prison-campaign-donors-leaked-memo-
795681.