Joe Biden Phases Out Federal Use of Private Prisons as Part of Racial Equity Actions
President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed four executive actions pertaining to racial equity, including phasing out the use of private prisons at the federal level.
“We have never fully lived up to the founding principles of this nation, to state the obvious, that all people are created equal and have a right to be treated equally throughout their lives,” Biden said just before signing the actions. “And it’s time to act now, not only because it’s the right thing to do. Because if we do, we’ll all be better off.”
Biden signed an order directing the attorney general to not renew contracts the Department of Justice has with privately-operated criminal detention facilities.
“This is the first step to stop corporations from profiting off of incarcerated — incarceration that is less humane and less safe, as the studies show. And it is just the beginning, in my view, to my administration’s plan to address systemic problems in our criminal justice system,” Biden said.
