MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: Coalition Against Private Prisons (CAPP)

“Faith leaders in Memphis have made it clear that choosing to build a for-profit, private jail is morally unacceptable.  Positive alternatives are urgently needed.  We seek positive steps in that direction and expect the suggested cost-saving alternatives to be given serious consideration by the commissioners, and the community.”

 -Father Les Schmidt, Bishops’ Liaison for the Catholic Committee of the South

Coalition against Private Prisons (CAPP) rally Memphis, TN

In Shelby County, Tennessee, the proposal from the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) to build what would have been the largest private prison and jail complex in the country was defeated after the Coalition Against Private Prisons formed, comprised of AFSC Local 1733, Blues Enrichment, Communication Workers of America Local 3804, Grassroots Leadership, IBEW Local 474, IBEW Local 1288, International Center for Learning and Exchange, Memphis Central Labor Council, Mid-South Interfaith Network, Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, Rainbow PUSH, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and Women’s Action Coalition.  The Coalition advocated a platform of alternatives to both privatization and incarceration to reduce detention costs in Shelby County, and ultimately was joined by both the Mayor and the Sheriff in pulling plans for privatization off the table.  They are now working towards a platform of reform that would also decrease the number of people in the Shelby County Jail. 

Click HERE Download the CAPP report Progress or Profit?: Positive Alternatives to Privatization and Incarceration in Shelby County, Tennessee

Dana Kaplan and Gail Tyree (organizer on the CAPP campaign)

[back to top]