Louisiana – Prison Sale Abandoned Under Public Pressure

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and his allies in the state Legislature backed down from plans to sell a state prison in Avoyelles Parish in April, responding to a public outcry led by AFSCME members.

AFSCME members spoke with local religious leaders and before community groups to stress the importance of protecting public safety. By building coalitions with community groups and religious congregations, and visiting with their local lawmakers, AFSCME members and their allies were able to stir a public outcry to kill the prison sale.

Although the Louisiana House of Representatives voted 62 to 43 to take the sale of the corrections facility off the table, they revamped the bill to allow for the state corrections department to shop out the prison’s services for a 10-year contract with a privateer, pending approval from the Legislature’s budget committees.

However, a privatized facility could result in a $24,000 drop in corrections officers’ annual salaries — assuming the officers were even rehired by the corporation.

With corrections officers’ job security and the public safety of the people of Louisiana at stake, AFSCME members and community allies will continue to fight the prison privatization scheme.