White House Domestic Policy Counsel Office, Leavenworth Cou. Commission re: CoreCivic Leavenworth

We sent a letter imploring the Biden administration and Leavenworth County Commission to keep their promise and close the deplorable CoreCivic private jail in Leavenworth, KS.

CoreCivic is a private company that runs jails and prisons in the United States. Their Leavenworth jail contracts with the US Marshalls service to hold people facing federal charges – people who are still presumed innocent and awaiting their day in court.

These people experience horrendous conditions and dangerous violence. Stabbings, suicides, and even homicide occur with alarming frequency in the last year, with weapons, drugs, and other contraband now a common occurrence. In addition to all the violence, CoreCivic Leavenworth has neglected basic human needs. Food has been restricted, contact with legal counsel and family has been denied or curtailed, medical care is limited, and showers are infrequent because the facility is too unsafe.

The inhumane and poorly run CoreCivic Leavenworth was set to close in December 2021. The signatories called on US Marshalls to let the contract expire, as part of President Biden's Executive Order to end private prisons. Still, CoreCivic campaigned heavily for the facility to remain open. In a shareholder call on August 10, 2021, CoreCivic’s President and CEO noted that they “continue to explore various options” for keeping the facility open. One way CoreCivic proposed keeping this facility open is with a passthrough contract with Leavenworth County, so the CoreCivic could circumvent the Executive Order by not signing directly with US Marshalls.

The Biden Administration and Leavenworth County maintained the current schedule and closed CoreCivic Leavenworth in December 2021.