End Private Prisons: Sharifah Hardie’s Plan to Stop Profiting from Pain and Mass Incarceration in California as Governor

As Governor of California, Sharifah Hardie unveils plan to end private prisons, strengthen AB 32, and stop profit-driven mass incarceration in California.

LONG BEACH, CA, UNITED STATES, August 1, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Sharifah Hardie, candidate for California Governor 2026, has unveiled a comprehensive plan to end private prisons, strengthen California’s justice system, and stop profit-driven mass incarceration that disproportionately impacts communities of color.

Hardie stated that from slavery to Black Codes, through Jim Crow, and now into the era of private prisons, there is a system intentionally designed to control and profit from human lives. She emphasized that California, with one of the largest prison populations in the country, has become a central part of this cycle of injustice and must now lead the effort to end it.

California currently incarcerates over 95,000 individuals, costing taxpayers more than $13 billion annually, which is more than the state spends on higher education. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Black Californians are incarcerated nearly nine times more often than white residents, while Latino residents are also disproportionately impacted. In some counties, Black incarceration rates are up to 13 times higher than those of white residents.

Private prisons, introduced nationally in 1985, transformed incarceration into a multibillion-dollar corporate industry. Since then, private prisons have grown by over 500 percent, with companies signing contracts that guarantee 80 to 100 percent occupancy rates. In 2023, major private prison operators reported over $4 billion in revenue, earning profits every day someone is kept behind bars.

Although California passed Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32) in 2019 to phase out private prisons and immigrant detention centers, Hardie notes that many private facilities continue to operate or even expand due to legal challenges, federal contracts, and exceptions within the law.

Legal Challenges: The federal government and private prison companies have challenged AB 32 in court, arguing it violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Existing Contracts: ICE entered into long-term contracts with private prison operators shortly before AB 32 took effect, ensuring facilities could remain open despite the state’s ban.

Exceptions in AB 32: The law allows certain operations to continue under “community corrections” or “reentry services,” creating loopholes.

Federal Control: Federal contracts for immigrant detention are not subject to state laws like AB 32, allowing ICE to bypass the ban.

“From slavery to Jim Crow to today’s private prisons, the system has been designed to control and exploit communities of color,” said Sharifah Hardie. “Every day someone sits in a cell, corporations and political interests make money. AB 32 was an important first step, but because of loopholes, federal contracts, and legal challenges, private prisons continue to profit. As Governor, I will close these gaps and finally end profit-driven incarceration in California.”

As Governor, Sharifah Hardie pledges to:

Ban all private prison contracts and permanently prohibit for-profit detention centers

Strengthen and enforce AB 32 to close loopholes, end long-term out-of-state and immigration detention contracting, and fight federal challenges

Redirect billions of taxpayer dollars from incarceration to education, mental health services, job training, and community-based rehabilitation

Reform pretrial detention laws to ensure individuals are not jailed solely due to lack of financial resources

Launch a Prison-to-Opportunity initiative to reduce recidivism and provide fair pathways to employment for formerly incarcerated individuals

Sharifah Hardie is calling on civil rights organizations, faith leaders, community activists, and families impacted by incarceration to join her campaign and push for lasting reform.

“This is not history repeating. It is history that has never stopped,” Hardie said. “Families are suffering, communities are trapped in poverty, and generations are being stripped of opportunities while corporations thrive. As Governor, I will phase out private prisons, fully enforce AB 32, and redirect our resources to what truly makes us safe and strong. Californians must rise together and demand real change, but now I need your help. I need your support. I need your donations and volunteers to stand up with me for a better California.”

To support Sharifah Hardie’s campaign to end private prisons and stop profit-driven incarceration, visit https://www.SharifahHardieForGovernor.com

Sharifah Hardie
Sharifah Hardie for California Governor
+1 562-822-0965
info@sharifahhardieforgovernor.com
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