US to end federal use of private prisons

In many ways, we have the global attention Bernie Sanders brought to the private prison industry to thank.  He pointed out the failings of allowing private companies to profit off of imprisonment, blatantly stating that "we cannot fix our criminal justice system if corporations are allowed to profit from mass incarceration".

He's right and the US Justice department agrees.  "They do not save substantially on costs and ... they do not maintain the same level of safety and security," Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates said explaining the decision.

Over the next five years, contracts with 13 private prisons will be reviewed and and allowed to expire.  Stock values of private prisons dropped sharply after the decision was made public, with one company, Corrections Corp of America, dropping almost 50%.

This comes after an Inspector General's report released this month found that private prisons saw higher rates of violent incidents and rule infractions compared to state-run prisons.

After the decision, Sanders made a public statement, referring to the move as "an important step in the right direction", and that it is "an international embarrassment that we put more people behind bars than any other country on Earth... due in large part to private prisons".

Things are changing, Bernie.