President Joe Biden on Tuesday ordered the Justice Department to end its dependence on private prisons and recognize the central role the government played in implementing discriminatory housing policies.
In comments before signing the requests, Biden said the US government needs to change “its whole approach” in the the issue of racial equity. He added that the nation is less prosperous and secure because of the scourge of systemic racism.
“We need to change now,” said the president. “I know it will take time, but I know we can do that. And I firmly believe that the nation is ready to change. But the government also needs to change.”
The order to end dependency on private prisons instructs the attorney general not to renew the Department of Justice’s contracts with private criminal detention facilities. The move will effectively revert the Justice Department to the same stance it maintained at the end of the Obama administration.
“This is the first step in preventing companies from profiting from incarceration,” said Biden.
Biden rose to the presidency during a year of intense evaluation of institutional racism in the USA. The measures announced on Tuesday reflect his efforts to deliver on campaign promises to combat racial injustice.
In addition to asking the Justice Department to restrict the use of private prisons and address housing discrimination, the new orders will renew the federal government’s commitment to respect tribal sovereignty and repudiate discrimination against the Asian American and Pacific Island community. on the coronavirus pandemic.
The more than 14,000 federal inmates housed in privately managed facilities represent a fraction of the nearly 152,000 federal inmates currently incarcerated.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons had already chosen not to renew some private prison contracts in recent months, as the number of prisoners has decreased and thousands have been released for home confinement because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The GEO Group, a private company that operates federal prisons, called Biden’s order “a solution in search of a problem”.
“Given the steps that the BOP had already announced, today’s Executive Order represents only a political statement, which can have serious unintended negative consequences, including the loss of hundreds of jobs and negative economic impact on the communities where our facilities are located. , which is already struggling economically due to the COVID pandemic, “said a spokesman for the GEO Group in a statement.
David Fathi, director of the National Prison Project for the American Civil Liberties Union, noted that the order does not end the federal government’s dependence on privately run immigration detention centers.
“The order signed today is an important first step in recognizing the damage that has been caused and taking steps to repair it, but President Biden has an obligation to do more, especially given his history and promises,” said Fathi.
Rashad Robinson, president of the national racial justice organization Color of Change, expressed disappointment that policing was not addressed in executive action.
“President Biden’s executive orders not to renew contracts with for-profit prisons and to investigate housing discrimination caused by Trump administration policies provide important steps, but they do not go far enough,” said Robinson, who noted that he hoped Biden would did move to reinstate an Obama-era policy that prohibits the transfer of military equipment to local police departments.
Biden’s victory over Trump in several battlefield states, including Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, was driven by strong black voter turnout. Throughout his campaign and transition, Biden pledged that his government would maintain equity issues – as well as climate change, another issue he sees as an existential crisis – in defining all policy considerations.
Biden, who fulfilled his initial promise to choose a woman to serve as vice president, also sought to highlight the diversity of his cabinet selections.
On Monday, the Senate confirmed Biden’s choice for Treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, who is the first woman to lead the department. Last week, the Senate confirmed Lloyd Austin as the nation’s first black defense secretary.