A story posted on Newsweek.com today reports that even the private prison industry is feeling the effects of the recession. Although the number of inmates in some states has risen during the past few years, some of those states, rather than building new prisons or filling empty beds, are crowding more prisoners into existing facilities or trying to change legislation to make sentencing less harsh for nonviolent criminals.

Michael Jacobson, Vera's director, is quoted in the story, saying, "The private prisons companies know how to play the legislative game," referring to the fact that many of the leaders of private prison organizations have made political connections that have helped their organizations maintain a role in the prison facility system.