The Libertarian Party of Texas (LPTexas) supports House Bill 1410, which prohibits the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) from housing or confining inmates in privately operated prisons. While LPTexas advocates for reducing incarceration overall, we recognize that as long as the government is responsible for enforcing criminal justice, it must also be directly responsible for the care and rehabilitation of those it imprisons.

Opposing Corporate Subsidies and Cronyism
Private prisons operate on government contracts funded by taxpayer dollars—an arrangement that amounts to a taxpayer-subsidized industry. LPTexas opposes all forms of government handouts and corporate welfare, including the funneling of public money into profit-driven incarceration schemes.

Demanding Accountability in the Use of State Force
Incarceration is one of the most extreme exercises of state power. Outsourcing this function to private entities weakens transparency, accountability, and public oversight. Only government, as the entity responsible for depriving individuals of liberty, should carry the burden and responsibility for that act.

Rejecting Profit Incentives for Mass Incarceration
The profit motive in private prisons creates perverse incentives to expand incarceration and cut corners in humane treatment. LPTexas believes that justice should never be driven by corporate profit, and opposes any system that commodifies individuals under state control.

Conclusion
The Libertarian Party of Texas urges the Legislature to pass HB 1410. Ending the use of private prisons removes harmful financial incentives, reduces corporate dependence on government subsidies, and restores public accountability to the criminal justice system. True justice cannot be subcontracted.