RELIGIOUS
STATEMENTS


PCWG, 1114 Brandt Drive, Tallahassee FL 32308

Episcopal Church: September 1, 2012. The Episcopal Diocese of Arizona Reaffirm criminal justice reform and oppose contracting for private prisons in Arizona.

Presbyterian Church: July 11, 2012. The Presbyterian Church reaffirms its opposition to the for-profit private prison industry.

United Church in Christ Southwest Conference: May 31, 2012. United Church in Christ Southwest Conference calling for the abolition of for-profit private prisons.

Presbyterian Criminal Justice Network: March 1, 2012. The Presbyterian Criminal Justice Network challenged governors in 48 states to reject a “corrections investment initiative” from Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) to purchase state-owned correctional facilities, which would require states to enter into minimum 20-year contracts with CCA and guarantee a 90% prisoner occupancy rate.

United Methodist Church:
January 5, 2012 Why I Hate CCA
The United Methodist Church has just divested itself of its investments in private prison companies, including CCA and the GEO Group. The resolution they just passed declares that the Church will no longer include in its investment portfolio any company that derives at least 10% of its earnings from the owning or operation of a private prison. This is a huge victory for the Divestment Campaign, and hopefully will be the start of a mass migration away from investing in the immorality of private incarceration.

2000 (reaffirmed in 2004) go to issue 240 "The United Methodist Church declares its opposition to the privatization of prisons and jails and to profit making from the punishment of human beings." 

Presbyterian Church USA: May 2003 "Since the goal of for-profit private prisons is earning a profit for their shareholders, there is a basic and fundamental conflict with the concept of rehabilitation as the ultimate goal of the prison system. We believe that this is a glaring and significant flaw in our justice system and that for-profit private prisons should be abolished."

Southern Catholic Bishops' Resolution: April 2003 "To deprive other persons of their freedom, to restrict them from contact with other human beings, to use force against them up to and including deadly force, are the most serious of acts. To delegate such acts to institutions whose success depends on the amount of profit they generate is to invite abuse and to abdicate our responsibility to care for our sisters and brothers."

Catholic Bishops' Resolution: November 2000 "We bishops question whether private, for-profit corporations can effectively run prisons. The profit motive may lead to reduced efforts to change behaviors, treat substance abuse, and offer skills necessary for reintegration into the community."

Episcopal Diocese of Newark: January 2002 "The industry of warehousing prisoners in private prisons has presented a temptation to those who would profit from the punishment of human beings."