The citizens of Pike County voted not to allow the construction of a private prison in their county and sent the for profit private prison company packing, and so should the citizens of Adams County.

Corrections Corporations of America and the GEO Group, leaders in the private prison industry currently vying to build a 1,500 bed for-profit private prison in Adams County is not a good neighbor. As a concerned citizen of Adams County I ask you to consider the following reasons this is not a good match for Adams County.

The proposed prison is not a federal prison and the private prison companies have not secured a federal contract.

Once a prison town, always a prison town

The Catholic, Presbyterian and the United Methodist Churches have spoken out against the for-profit private prison industry

Private prison companies often lie to get into communities and do not deliver fully on their promises.

National studies show that even public prisons, where staff is often paid twice as much as in the privates, don’t help the economy.

This industry considers humans as inventory.

It is inherent in private prisons that inevitably the profit motive creates cost-cutting practices that are not suited for a labor-intensive and inherently dangerous industry like corrections.

To profit off the incarceration of humans is morally wrong.

With all that said, ask yourself if 300 promised jobs are worth selling our souls to the devil?

I have lived here all my life and I feel it is not worth the soul of Adams County.

We do have a choice in picking our new neighbors. If they have proven that they are such great neighbors, let the community decide. Take this issue to a vote.

The National Council on Crime and Delinquency reports for-profit prisons have lower staffing, lower salaries and a higher rate of assaults on staff and inmates than public facilities.

As per The Corrections Yearbook, the average turnover rate for correctional officers in for-profit prisons was 41.2 percent, compared to 14.9 percent in publicly run prisons.

The group of residents that are trying to bring this issue to a vote is mostly made up of people who have lived, went to school and worked in Adams County most of their lives. We are for jobs, but we are also for “The Right to Vote.”

Please sign a petition before it is too late.

Robert Palmer is an Adams County resident.