Vanderbilt University continues to deny investments in CoreCivic, a company that owns and manages prison and detention centers, amidst federal investigation into the company and Trousdale Turner Correctional Center.
The Justice Department is investigating this facility for staffing shortages, physical violence, murder and sexual abuse, according to a press release by the Office of Public Affairs. Although CoreCivic owns the facility, the state of Tennessee is responsible for the welfare of the inmates.
Thomas Beasley (J.D. ‘73) co-founded CoreCivic, formerly known as the Corrections Corporation of America. CoreCivic currently has a contract with the state of Tennessee enabling it to operate South Central Correctional Facility in Clifton, Tennessee, and its contracts with Hardeman County and Trousdale County allow it to run Hardeman County Correctional Facility, Whiteville Correctional Facility and Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, according to an article in the Tennessee Lookout.
Vanderbilt is listed as a pre-IPO shareholder of CoreCivic in a book about the private prison industry written by Donna Selman and Paul Leighton. However, Vanderbilt continues to denounce its current and historical affiliation with CoreCivic. The university’s stance has remained the same since its 2018 tweet.
“At this time, we have been unable to locate any historic records of Vanderbilt University investment in CoreCivic or the Corrections Corporation of America,” a university representative said in a message to The Hustler. “And to reiterate, Vanderbilt University also does not currently have investments of any kind in CoreCivic or the private prison industry.”
First-year Jason Lowry said he understood Vanderbilt’s denial of investing in CoreCivic.
“If CoreCivic is only recently trying to privatize and Vanderbilt stopped being a shareholder before they started, then I think it’s fair for them to deny [investing] since they can’t control old investments once they pull their money out,” Lowry said.
Emily Cha, chair of the New Life Dialogue Group for Vanderbilt Prison Project said she first heard about Vanderbilt’s involvement with private prisons from discussing the topic with other students and VPP members. She believes Vanderbilt should state that they do not have any direct investments and be more transparent in their involvement.
“Vanderbilt’s involvement with private prisons highlights a troubling trend where educational institutions and corporations prioritize profit over social justice,” Cha said.“This partnership contributes to a system that perpetuates mass incarceration, often at the expense of marginalized communities. Addressing this complicity is crucial for fostering meaningful reform in our criminal justice system.”
Brian Todd, manager of public affairs for CoreCivic, declined The Hustler’s request for a comment on Vanderbilt’s role as a pre-IPO shareholder in CoreCivic.
