Dayton Business Journal...
Group sues to block privatizing prisons
Friday, August 26, 2011 

Progress Ohio has filed a lawsuit in Franklin County Common Please Court to block Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s plan to privatize prisons. Constitutional concerns and the need to preserve jobs and economic security for local Ohio economies were cited by the group. 

Included among the complaints arguments: 

• the selling of state owed prisons to private contractors is unconstitutional and unenforceable; 

• asks the court to declare that prison workers that are employed by privatized prisons are public employees; 

• and calls for an injunction preventing Kasich’s administration from moving forward with the plan including 

• barring any layoffs of current prison employees and the sale of the public assets. 

“By filing today over these Constitutional issues, we believe strongly that this case preserves a safe environment for these communities that house dangerous felons and preserves good jobs in an Ohio economy wracked by income deflation,” said Brian Rothenberg, ProgressOhio executive director. 

“In effect this action protects both safety and economic security for Ohio communities whose residents would see profit over safety and layoffs and pay cuts that will devastate consumer spending.” 

Read it at the Dayton Business Journal