WA Legislature considering bill to ban for-profit prisons, detention centers

The Washington Legislature moved one step closer to ending for-profit private detention centers in the state. House Bill 1090 passed with bipartisan support and now moves to the Senate.

"I can't tell you the number of complaints I have heard regarding a for profit detention center in our state," said Washington Representative Lillian Ortiz-Self (D-21st District), a sponsor of the bill who spoke during a hearing Tuesday.

"Complaints of abuse that's ranging from maggots in their food to denying access to health care," Ortiz-Self said, referring to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma that holds undocumented immigrants for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

But the facility is operated day-to-day by The GEO Group, a private prison company.

A similar bill was introduced last year but was ultimately gutted. This one makes exceptions for certain facilities that provide rehab or mental health treatments.

Similar efforts to end private detention centers have passed in California. But some Washington legislators worry that passing the bill could invite litigation from the federal government.

"We're just dragging the state into a battle that is unnecessary," said Representative Eric Robertson (R- 31st District).

"The federal preemption issue is real," he said. "Rarely do states get to tell the federal government anything."

If this bill passes in the Senate, the Northwest Detention Center would continue to detain people only for the duration of its contract, which expires in 2025.