Will County board members, Joliet City Council members were joined by leaders from the faith, business and community to denounce the proposed for-profit prison by the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) in Joliet and delivered 4,000 petitions to Joliet officials asking them to end negotiations with CCA.

“I call upon the mayor and council to recall their own immigrant roots and stand with us in opposing this immigrant prison,” said Tom Garlitz of the Diocese of Joliet. He noted that Presence St. Joseph Medical Center and the University of St. Francis also joined with the Diocese in opposition to the center.

The group applauded the letters that Attorney General Lisa Madigan and seven members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation submitted to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano opposing CCA’s private, for-profit immigration prisons in Illinois.

“Published reports indicate that the private, for-profit entity, Corrections Corporation of America, Inc., which is currently seeking to build and operate a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detention center in Will County, Illinois, has a record of violence at its facilities, including DHS detention facilities…Based on these concerns, I would respectfully request that you reject CCA’s proposal to operate a detention center in lllinois,” said Attorney General Lisa Madigan in a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

CCA, a multi-billion dollar corporation, has a long, well-documented history of cutting costs, underpaying and under-training staff, and fighting unions. These practices have created poor morale, high turnover, and personnel who are ill prepared to handling their responsibilities and prone to violence and abuse. Last year, CCA attempted to build a similar prison in Crete but due to community opposition the Village of Crete voted unanimously to end discussions with Immigration and Customs (ICE) and CCA.