An investigation by National Public Radio has found that prison companies that were set to make significant gains from the criminalization of immigrants helped write and pass Arizona’s controversial law SB 1070.

The investigation claims that campaign finance reports, lobbying documents and corporate records show “a quiet, behind-the-scenes effort to help draft and pass Arizona Senate Bill 1070 by an industry that stands to benefit from it: the private prison industry.” Check out the NPR story here.

The Orange County Register:

Prison companies helped draft and pass controversial Arizona’s immigration law SB1070, a National Public Radio investigation shows.

The law is currently tied up in the courts after a judge blocked some of the most contentious provisions of the bill from taking effect. It would allow police to ask people to prove they are in the country legally during a lawful stop.

If the law is upheld, it could mean a windfall for the prison industry, according to a National Public Radio investigation.

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