Private prison operator CoreCivic has donated roughly $146,000 to the campaigns of 65 current members of the Tennessee General Assembly since 2006, according to records from the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

A review of state campaign finance records from the past eleven years reveals that CoreCivic has given money to the campaigns of legislators of both parties and in both chambers of the state legislature through its political action committee and through direct corporate donations.

Formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America, the Nashville-based business, founded in 1983, is the largest private corrections operator in the country. It houses over 66,000 prisoners in 61 federal, state and local facilities across the United States. As of March 2017 over 7,500 inmates were incarcerated in the four CoreCivic-managed prisons in Tennessee.

The single largest recipient of campaign funds from the company since 2006 is Rep. Johnny Shaw, a Democrat whose district includes part of Hardeman and Madison counties. CoreCivic has donated to Shaw every year since 2006 for a total of $9,000. Shaw’s district contains two CoreCivic facilities: the Hardeman County Correctional Center and the Whiteville Correctional facility. The state senator from the area, Republican Dolores Gresham, is the second largest recipient of campaign funds from the company.

CoreCivic campaign donations by House district

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Rep. Shaw defended his relationship with the company in an interview by highlighting what he saw as its positive impact in his district, both socially and economically.

“They’re active in our community and donate to worthy causes, plus they provide a huge payroll for us. We’re a distressed community,” Shaw said.

Shaw also claimed that private prisons made criminal justice reform less expensive because the state could more easily walk away from private prisons than state-run facilities.

“I‘m not out advocating for private prisons or even state prisons, I’m out advocating for a way to reduce the crime rate and reduce the recidivism rate but at the same time we have invested a lot of money into brick and mortar, “Shaw said. “So if we have to close facilities it would be cheaper for a private facility to close on our part than it would be if it were one of our own prisons. We have to look at the total picture.”

“CoreCivic actually incarcerates people cheaper than [the state] can do it. To my knowledge there is no cost with opting for that cheaper option.”

Asked about conditions at CoreCivic facilities in the state, Rep. Shaw said he was satisfied.

Sen. Gresham and CoreCivic could not be reached for comment.

CoreCivic campaign donations by Senate district

While few legislators received as many donations from the company as Shaw or Gresham, CoreCivic’s influence in state politics is still “significant,” according to private prison critic Alex Friedmann, associate director of the Human Rights Defense Center and managing editor of Prison Legal News.

“CCA spends freely on the state level through campaign contributions and lobbying, and state lawmakers that have (or want) private prisons in their districts, which bring money and jobs, are especially susceptible to private prison influence,”said Friedmann.

Friedmann, who spent 6 years incarcerated in CoreCivic’s South Central Correctional Facility in Clifton, Tennessee, added “Under our system of government, campaign contributions are a legalized form of bribery.”

CoreCivic's Metro-Davidson County Detention Facility, Nashville, TN

The company has been subject to numerous complaints by advocacy groups, state governments and the federal government over its treatment of prisoners and conditions within its facilities.

CoreCivic’s Trousdale Turner Correctional Center in Hartsville, Tennessee, the largest prison in the state, had to temporarily stop accepting new inmates in May 2016 due to “serious issues” with violence and understaffing, according to a memo from the company to the Tennessee Department of Corrections first reported by the Associated Press.

Three female visitors to the CoreCivic-managed South Central Correctional Facility in Clifton, Tennessee sued the company in 2015, claiming they were forced to undergo strip searches to prove they were menstruating after attempting to bring tampons into the prison.

According to an August 2016 report from the U.S. Department of Justice”s Office of Inspector General that looked at private federal prisons managed by CCA and two other companies, private prisons suffer from more violence, contraband and inmate complaints than federally managed facilities. Shortly after the publication of that report the Department of Justice under President Obama announced its intention not to renew any federal private prison contracts, but that plan was quickly canceled by President Trump’s new Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

CoreCivic donation totals by legislator

Legislator District Party Chamber Total Shaw, Johnny 80 Democrat House $9,000.00 Gresham, Dolores 26 Republican Senate $8,750.00 McCormick, Gerald 26 Republican House $7,250.00 Sargent, Charles 61 Republican House $7,000.00 Haile, Ferrell 18 Republican Senate $6,500.00 Harwell, Beth 56 Republican House $5,500.00 Yager, Ken 12 Republican Senate $5,500.00 McNally, Randy 5 Republican Senate $5,000.00 Hensley, Joey 28 Republican Senate $4,250.00 Overbey, Doug 2 Republican Senate $4,000.00 Tracy, Jim 14 Republican Senate $4,000.00 Weaver, Terri Lynn 40 Republican House $4,000.00 Fitzhugh, Craig 82 Democrat House $3,250.00 Lamberth, William 44 Republican House $3,250.00 Brooks, Kevin 24 Republican House $3,000.00 Ketron, Bill 13 Republican Senate $3,000.00 McDaniel, Steve 72 Republican House $3,000.00 Sexton, Cameron 25 Republican House $3,000.00 Travis, Ron 31 Republican House $3,000.00 Wirgau, Tim 75 Republican House $3,000.00 Casada, Glen 63 Republican House $2,500.00 Ramsey, Bob 20 Republican House $2,500.00 Watson, Bo 11 Republican Senate $2,500.00 Johnson, Curtis G. 68 Republican House $2,250.00 Matheny, Judd 47 Republican House $2,250.00 Dickerson, Steven 20 Republican Senate $2,000.00 Hawk, David 5 Republican House $2,000.00 Johnson, Jack 23 Republican Senate $2,000.00 Littleton, Mary 78 Republican House $2,000.00 Stevens, John 24 Republican Senate $2,000.00 Faison, Jeremy 11 Republican House $1,750.00 Lynn, Susan 57 Republican House $1,500.00 Marsh, Pat 62 Republican House $1,500.00 Southerland, Steve 1 Republican Senate $1,500.00 Tate, Reginald 33 Democrat Senate $1,500.00 Alexander, David 39 Republican House $1,000.00 Bowling, Janice 16 Republican Senate $1,000.00 Byrd, David 71 Republican House $1,000.00 Carter, Mike 29 Republican House $1,000.00 Harper, Thelma 19 Democrat Senate $1,000.00 Hill, Matthew 7 Republican House $1,000.00 Hulsey, Bud 2 Republican House $1,000.00 Kelsey, Brian 31 Republican Senate $1,000.00 Norris, Mark 32 Republican Senate $1,000.00 Ragan, John 33 Republican House $1,000.00 Swann, Art 8 Republican House $1,000.00 Doss, Barry 70 Republican House $850.00 Pody, Mark 46 Republican House $750.00 Powers, Dennis 36 Republican House $750.00 Sanderson, Bill 77 Republican House $750.00 Beavers, Mae 17 Republican Senate $500.00 Butt, Sheila 64 Republican House $500.00 Calfee, Kent 32 Republican House $500.00 Coley, Jim 97 Republican House $500.00 Daniel, Martin 18 Republican House $500.00 Gilmore, Brenda 54 Democrat House $500.00 Green, Mark 22 Republican Senate $500.00 Keisling, Kelly 38 Republican House $500.00 Moody, Debra 81 Republican House $500.00 Powell, Jason 53 Democrat House $500.00 Reedy, Jay D. 74 Republican House $500.00 Rogers, Courtney 45 Republican House $500.00 White, Mark 83 Republican House $500.00 Williams, Ryan 42 Republican House $500.00 Farmer, Andrew 17 Republican House $250.00 Akbari, Raumesh 91 Democrat House $0.00 Bailey, Paul 15 Republican Senate $0.00 Beck, Bill 51 Democrat House $0.00 Bell, Mike 9 Republican Senate $0.00 Briggs, Richard 7 Republican Senate $0.00 Brooks, Harry 19 Republican House $0.00 Camper, Karen D. 87 Democrat House $0.00 Carr, Dale 12 Republican House $0.00 Clemmons, John Ray 55 Democrat House $0.00 Cooper, Barbara 86 Democrat House $0.00 Crawford, John 1 Republican House $0.00 Crowe, Rusty 3 Republican Senate $0.00 Curcio, Michael G. 69 Republican House $0.00 DeBerry, John J., Jr. 90 Democrat House $0.00 Dunn, Bill 16 Republican House $0.00 Eldridge, Jimmy A. 73 Republican House $0.00 Favors, JoAnne 28 Democrat House $0.00 Forgety, John 23 Republican House $0.00 Gant, Ron M. 94 Republican House $0.00 Gardenhire, Todd 10 Republican Senate $0.00 Goins, Tilman 10 Republican House $0.00 Gravitt, Marc 30 Republican House $0.00 Halford, Curtis 79 Republican House $0.00 Hardaway, G. A. 93 Democrat House $0.00 Harris, Lee 29 Democrat Senate $0.00 Hazlewood, Patsy 27 Republican House $0.00 Hicks, Gary 9 Republican House $0.00 Hill, Timothy 3 Republican House $0.00 Holsclaw, Jr., John B. 4 Republican House $0.00 Holt, Andy H. 76 Republican House $0.00 Howell, Dan 22 Republican House $0.00 Jackson, Ed 27 Republican Senate $0.00 Jernigan, Darren 60 Democrat House $0.00 Jones, Sherry 59 Democrat House $0.00 Kane, Roger 89 Republican House $0.00 Kumar, Sabi 'Doc' 66 Republican House $0.00 Kyle, Sara 30 Democrat Senate $0.00 Lollar, Ron 99 Republican House $0.00 Love, Harold M., Jr. 58 Democrat House $0.00 Lundberg, Jon 4 Republican Senate $0.00 Massey, Becky Duncan 6 Republican Senate $0.00 Matlock, Jimmy 21 Republican House $0.00 Miller, Larry J. 88 Democrat House $0.00 Mitchell, Bo 50 Democrat House $0.00 Niceley, Frank S. 8 Republican Senate $0.00 Parkinson, Antonio 98 Democrat House $0.00 Pitts, Joe 67 Democrat House $0.00 Roberts, Kerry 25 Republican Senate $0.00 Rudd, Tim 34 Republican House $0.00 Sexton, Jerry 35 Republican House $0.00 Sherrell, Paul 43 Republican House $0.00 Smith, Eddie 13 Republican House $0.00 Sparks, Mike 49 Republican House $0.00 Staples, Rick 15 Democrat House $0.00 Stewart, Mike 52 Democrat House $0.00 Terry, Bryan 48 Republican House $0.00 Thompson, Dwayne 96 Democrat House $0.00 Tillis, Rick 92 Republican House $0.00 Towns, Joe, Jr. 84 Democrat House $0.00 Turner, Johnnie 85 Democrat House $0.00 Vacant 95 N/A House $0.00 Van Huss, James (Micah) 6 Republican House $0.00 White, Dawn 37 Republican House $0.00 Whitson, Sam 65 Republican House $0.00 Windle, John Mark 41 Democrat House $0.00 Yarbro, Jeff 21 Democrat Senate $0.00 Zachary, Jason 14 Republican House $0.00

Individual donations by CoreCivic to legislators