TUCSON – Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) released the following statement reacting to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision to rescind an Obama administration directive to reduce our reliance on the for-profit prison industry.

“Attorney General Sessions made clear today that justice will remain for sale in the United States so long as he’s in charge,” Rep. Grijalva said. “The private prison industry has been eroding our nation’s moral integrity for years, placing a dollar sign on incarceration and then lobbying lawmakers for policies that ensure their business is booming and their prison beds are full. The more money they get from government contracts, the more they funnel back into campaign donations for lawmakers who bring them more inmates. This cycle is repulsive and beneath the dignity of this great nation. Sadly, what little progress we made towards curtailing the influence of this reprehensible industry in recent years was squashed today by Attorney General Sessions, which speaks volumes about the sense of ‘justice’ he brings to the job.”