Ramtin Arablui

Yeah, because it doesn't have the sense of ugliness.

Like, you don't think there's murderers or rapists in these facilities.

There's just people trying to get into the country.

They'll be here temporarily.

They'll be sent away.

Why not?

So it was seen as a way out of this situation with these revolts, basically, to go back to the old model.

Does it work out for them?

Like, does this actually create a sustained economic boost?

After the Oakdale and Atlanta prison riots, dozens of local jails and correctional centers contracted with the federal government to detain Cuban immigrants.

Avoyal's parish would detain the most.

It wasn't just Cubans who were being detained in the 1980s.

Crime rates were spiking.

There was a crack epidemic.

Mass incarceration in general was on the rise.

And Congress passed tougher immigration and crime laws.

And soon, private prisons started getting contracts with the federal government for detaining immigrants.

One of the major private prison providers in the U.S.

at the time, known as Corrections Corporation of America, or CCA, got its first federal contract ever for detaining immigrants.

There were stories about escapes, about abusive guards and poor health care.