top of page

Joe Biden’s Executive Order That Eliminated Department Of Justice Contracts With Private Prisons Reversed By President Donald Trump 


President Trump’s reversal of Executive Order 14006 reopens the federal government’s reliance on private prisons. Biden’s order, which sought to end Justice Department contracts with private prisons, had been celebrated as a step toward curbing the exploitative practices of corporations like GEO Group and CoreCivic. Trump’s action, however, revives these relationships, signaling what GEO Group’s executive chairman George Zoley described as a predictable outcome: “We kind of get the sense...Trump will reverse all of the Biden executive orders on Day One.”


The return to private prisons directly impacts the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and U.S. Marshals Service, which oversee tens of thousands of individuals in custody. Under Biden, approximately 14,000 people housed in private prisons were relocated to BOP facilities. Trump’s reversal reopens the door for private companies to profit from incarceration despite documented abuses and concerns over oversight in these facilities. For abolitionists, the expansion of private prison contracts further entrenches a system that prioritizes profit over people. As Angela Davis has famously argued, “Prisons do not disappear social problems, they disappear human beings.”


Critics also highlight the role of private corporations in immigrant detention. While Trump’s order doesn’t affect ICE’s contracts, abolitionists emphasize the ongoing reliance on private companies, where more than 90% of detained immigrants are held. The numbers are stark: ICE contracts accounted for 43% of GEO Group’s revenue in 2023 and 30% for CoreCivic. Trump’s promised mass deportations will likely funnel more revenue to these companies, intensifying calls for their abolition.


Despite claims that private facilities meet specialized needs, opponents argue that private prisons perpetuate systemic harm, disproportionately targeting marginalized communities.


Comments


bottom of page