County Commissioners are in the process of trying to contract out the important work of staffing 201 Poplar and the Shelby County Penal Farm to the lowest bidder. Private prisons have a well-documented history of inefficient security, poorly trained and underpaid workers, high turnover rates, scant benefits and unprofessional and unsupervised treatment of inmates.

A coalition of local organizations and artists is being created to fight this privatization plan. So far this coalition involves Grassroots Leadership, the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, the AFSCME union, Shelby County Corrections Officers, Women’s Action Coalition, Mid-South Interfaith Network, educators, faith leaders, artists, and activists.

The goal of this coalition is to prevent the privatization of Shelby County jails. This will happen in a few steps. First, we must stop the county commissioners’ immediate attempt at privatizing the entrances to the jails (vote date not set). Second, we must stop the county commissioners’ attempt at privatizing the entirety of the jails (vote date not set). Third, we will try to pass county legislation that will prohibit the future privatization of our county jails.

To address our strategies: we are working with our coalition partners and other community organizations to educate Memphians about the dangers of privatization, and to mobilize Memphians around the issue.

•We currently have a letter-writing campaign aimed at letting county commissioners know of the opposition of their constituents.
•We sponsored a college tour where two representatives from Grassroots Leadership visited classes at various Memphis colleges educating students on the issue.
•We are also encouraging phone calls and emails to county commissioners.
•Faith leaders have come together and a huge ad will be taken out in the Commercial Appeal listing the names of many of our faith leaders in opposition to privatization.

The momentum our coalition has thus gathered will be harnessed to continue to educate the public in anticipation of the county commission vote to privatize the entire jail system. We will continue to attend their meetings, and when the date comes for them to vote, we will mobilize to encourage them to vote against it.

Read our Response:

"Progress or Profit"
Positive Alternatives to Prison Privatization in Shelby County
The report, Progress or Profit? Positive Alternatives To Privatization and Incarceration in Shelby County, Tennessee, proposes a set of solutions that will help the county cut spending and reduce its jail population while continuing to protect public safety. Download PDF of Full Report

Comprehensive Retribution and Rehabilitation Program
Privatization has never saved Shelby County any money.

Get Involved:
Organize your community to oppose the privatization:
There is no requirement for any coalition partner’s level of participation. By joining our coalition, we are able to keep organizations or individuals up-to-date on the issue and to invite them to strategizing sessions. It is up to each coalition partner how much it wants to involve itself.

To get involved or learn more call 725.4990 or email us.