In both a statement to reporters and an op-ed, GEO Vice President for Corporate Relations Pablo Paez has falsely claimed that horrific abuses at a GEO juvenile detention facility in Mississippi described by the Department of Justice as “systematic, egregious, and dangerous practices exacerbated by a lack of accountability and controls” occurred before GEO took control of the prison, even though both DOJ and court documents clearly show otherwise. ACLU National Prison Project Staff Attorney Carl Takei explains in a column:
Last week, [Paez] e-mailed a statement to reporters decrying the news coverage as “unfair,” particularly with regard to Walnut Grove. He wrote:
“For instance, a number of media reports
cite problems at a facility formerly operated by GEO in Mississippi, the
Walnut Grove Correctional Facility, quoting a report by the Department
of Justice issued in November 2010. What those media reports fail to
disclose is that our company only assumed management of the facility in
late August 2010, and the findings related to problems that preceded
GEO’s involvement at the facility, when it was operated by [a] different
private operator.”