Texas Prison Bid'ness

Our pal Scott Henson at Grits for Breakfast posted last week a roundup of grassroots campaigns against private prison sitings. According to Scott:

It's surprising how many acrimonious local debates are going on right now in Texas over jail and prison privatization.

Scott also highlights the grassroots strategies employed by a private prison opposition group in Nacogdoches, Citizens Opposed to the Prison Site (COPS). The community organization is calling for citizens to move their money out of local banks and to boycott the businesses of public officials that are supporting the private prison construction.

Scott goes on to offer additional analysis regarding private prison debate in Nueces County and why the construction of a new prison has a complicated history.

The grassroots actions taking place in Nueces and McClennan Counties are some of the most interesting in the state. The opposition of local citizens to private prison construction proves that this issue continues to resonate with folks in all communities throughout the state and that incarceration policy impacts us all.