Bill to ban private prisons in Washington state heads to Inslee’s desk
A bill that would ban private detention facilities in Washington state — outlawing the renewal of a contract between ICE and a private company that runs a controversial detention center in Tacoma — is headed to Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk.
In a 28-21 vote, the state Senate approved the bill, which had already been approved by the House of Representatives.
The only private prison currently in Washington state is the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, which is owned and operated by the GEO Group under contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Under the bill, that arrangement could continue until the contract expires in 2025. The bill includes a number of exemptions from the prohibition, including facilities used for substance use disorders and to hold people in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
“This bill is about a conflict of interest,” said sponsor Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self of Mukilteo in the bill’s first public hearing. “When you are trying to make a profit off of those that are incarcerated, there’s an inherent conflict of interest when you are beholden to your stakeholders versus those that you serve.”
It’s also about “eliminating abuse,” she said, citing reports out of the Tacoma detention facility, and ensuring people are treated humanely in the state. In floor debate last month, Ortiz-Self spoke of complaints of abuse “ranging from maggots in their food to denying access to health care” and ongoing hunger strikes.
Angelina Godoy, director of the University of Washington Center for Human Rights, testified in committee that the center has published reports on the prison based on documents from GEO Group and ICE — documents they had to sue for in federal court.
The documents revealed a different picture than what was presented publicly, she said, including that the detention center detained people longer in solitary confinement, on average, than any other ICE detention facility in the country.
Tacoma City Council Member Kristina Walker testified in support of the measure at its first public hearing, saying community members’ serious concerns with the facility prompted the council to file requests for information from the federal government that have mostly been rejected.
“We shouldn’t have to sue to find out the truth,” Godoy said.
Representatives with the GEO Group in that public hearing insisted stories people hear about the facility aren’t true.
“As it relates to private detention, we provide our services with multiple layers of accountability,” said Director of Community Outreach Emanuel Barr. He said GEO was being used as a “political scapegoat.”
Several Republican senators spoke in opposition to the bill Tuesday. Many questioned the state’s role when it comes to a federal facility. GEO Group has challenged a similar ban in California in court. A federal judge has so far mostly upheld the ban, the Los Angeles Times reports.
“Let’s focus on encouraging the federal government to better administer these facilities, provide better oversight of these facilities, and let’s watch this California lawsuit as it goes through to see if federal preemption is going to be an issue,” Sen. Chris Gildon of Puyallup said in floor debate. “We can take a tactical pause on this particular bill, and then move forward at a later date as we’re better informed.”
Maru Mora Villalpando, a community organizer with La Resistencia, told McClatchy she’s been fighting for the closure of the detention center in Tacoma since it opened in 2004. La Resistencia came together as an organization in March 2014, with the first publicized hunger strike at the facility.
Reached by phone Tuesday, she said the organization will now focus on emptying the detention center and ensuring there’s a plan for people who are released to get back home. She was grateful for the work of Rep. Ortiz-Self, she said, along with many others.
“It’s been such a long, hard fight,” Mora Villalpando said. “It’s not easy for people like us to win.”
The bill now awaits Gov. Inslee’s signature.
This story was originally published March 30, 2021 at 2:15 PM with the headline "Bill to ban private prisons in Washington state heads to Inslee’s desk."
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