For all the friends I made from my Lumpkin, GA days. The Justice Department report and decision references the riot and correctional officer death at Adams County Correctional Center that Warden Laughlin ran after he left the Stewart Detention Center specifically as one of the many, many reasons why the federal contracts are coming to an end. While Warden Laughlin has dodged personal accountability so far it's worth noting today that in part his unacceptable past actions on his corporations behalf at Adams County Correctional Center led to the corporations stock taking a huge loss as well as the loss of BOP contracts.
This mans actions and the facility he ran is what led me to speak out publicly about the unacceptable conditions that I saw under his leadership as well as an uncaring for profit prison corporation that chose to ignore all the signs and problems that led to deaths and unacceptable conditions at both the Stewart Detention Center and Adams County Correctional Center under his watch as well as his corporate henchmen/bosses. I feel somewhat validated that something significant has finally been done after so many people have spoken out and so much suffering has been caused by these individuals. While I was only a very, very small part of things and had absolutely nothing to do with today's Justice Department decision it still gives me hope that change can eventually happen when we speak out on injustices that we see regardless of the cost to ourselves and work together with like minded people to try and create a better world.
Interestingly Vance Laughlin is still a warden with CCA but now at a non-BOP contracted facility in Alamo, GA (Wheeler Correctional Facility). So this will have no effect most likely on his immediate employment as that facility is not BOP contracted. However just up the road in McRae, GA is a facility that will be affected by the DOJ's new policy. So oddly Vance will be able to personally see the effects of his prior poor decisions on possibly soon to be unemployed management and staff at a CCA BOP contracted facility up close while dodging the financial and loss of job repercussions that his fellow employees will most likely soon feel in McRae, GA when that contract with BOP goes south in the very near future. It's gotta make for interesting times when so many people are personally effected so harmfully by the repercussions of your own poor decisions in your own community.
I will sleep a little better tonight knowing that the world is in a slightly better place than it was when I woke up this morning. Congratulations to my many friends who also spoke out and worked towards this moment. Hopefully ICE Detention Centers will soon follow the example of the BOP. Many of my readers I know have also spoken out, campaigned and fought hard for changes in the current prison system. Today we see the actual proof that it can and does happen! Now we just have to get ICE to follow the BOP's example!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/08/18/justice-department-says-it-will-end-use-of-private-prisons/?utm_term=.3464895d073a
Shining a light on Corrections Corporation of America's (CCA) Stewart Detention Center
