private prison and detention contractor

CoreCivic

A public private-prison, detention, reentry, and government-real-estate contractor with immigration-detention and carceral profit exposure. CoreCivic scores low because of documented human harm, coercive violence, and person-dependent governance, with poor loss-bearing fidelity and extractive economics reinforcing the negative evaluation.

Why this matters: Private detention converts confinement into a revenue line, which the rubric treats as a severe structural warning.

Letter grade F Malignant Medium confidence (AI) Rubric gcd-rubric-v1 Last reviewed May 6, 2026

Final Score -37* F - Malignant

FMALIGNANT-37 pts

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

Base Material7

Bonus+0

Cap35Ownership <= 2 and Governance <= 2

After Cap7

Penalties-44

Private Government badge

CoreCivic receives the Private Government badge because it combines large-scale private rule-setting over customers, workers, users, members, or counterparties with OpenLobby-documented lobbying of about $2.5M on public policy issues.

Evidence: [8]

Policy Capture: L for Lobbying

The L badge appears when the Policy Capture penalty is severe. Here, L stands for Lobbying: the policy-capture value is -10, meaning the evidence indicates major private-interest lobbying or policy pressure against workers, customers, citizens, affected communities, democratic accountability, or ecological life.

Evidence: [7]

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Evaluation Overview

F - Malignant

The score turns mainly on Labor Sovereignty, with the largest penalty coming from Human Harm.

Strengths

Labor Sovereignty2/7
Ownership1/10
Governance1/10

Penalties

Human Harm-16
Policy Capture-10
Coercive Violence-9
Reversibility-5

Evidence state

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)
ThoroughnessPartial (AI)
Linked claims8
Direct axis claims7
Coverage7/15

Scoring Axes

Axis	Score	Why this score
Ownership ? Control rights: shareholder-dominated at 0, worker cooperative control at 10.	1 / 10	The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. That keeps CoreCivic low on Ownership: decisive control remains with shareholders, private owners, executives, or state insiders rather than affected people. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 12 scored entries below, 65 tied, 149 above on Ownership. Linked evidence context CoreCivic describes itself as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. [1]
Governance ? Binding decision authority: centralized control at 0, democratic stakeholder control at 10.	1 / 10	The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. That keeps CoreCivic low on Governance: ordinary users, workers, customers, or affected communities cannot change the rules that govern them. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 2 scored entries below, 68 tied, 156 above on Governance. Linked evidence context CoreCivic describes itself as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. [1]
Extraction ? Surplus allocation, wage share, CEO pay ratio, margins, and structured extraction judgment.	1 / 10	The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. That keeps CoreCivic low on Extraction: the business model makes extraction from workers, users, suppliers, customers, or the public central rather than incidental. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 2 scored entries below, 17 tied, 207 above on Extraction. Linked evidence context CoreCivic describes itself as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. [1]
Labor Sovereignty ? Worker power: coercive conditions at 0, co-determination or ownership at 7. Employee dissatisfaction matters only when source-backed evidence shows concrete limits on worker agency, such as coercive scheduling, retaliation, wage theft, harassment, unsafe conditions, suppression of worker voice, or extreme turnover.	2 / 7	The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. That keeps CoreCivic low on Labor Sovereignty: labor remains managerially controlled, replaceable, or exposed to coercive employment and contracting conditions. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 8 scored entries below, 36 tied, 182 above on Labor Sovereignty. Linked evidence context CoreCivic describes itself as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. [1]
Solidarity with the Unemployed ? Treatment of exits and nonworkers, including severance, redeployment, and non-competes.	1 / 7	The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. That keeps CoreCivic low on Solidarity with the Unemployed: the model provides little protection for people who leave, are excluded, or cannot bargain from employment. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 3 scored entries below, 27 tied, 196 above on Solidarity with the Unemployed. Linked evidence context CoreCivic describes itself as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. [1]
Loss-Bearing Fidelity ? Willingness to absorb costs to preserve values, workers, users, and public obligations.	0 / 7	The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. That keeps CoreCivic low on Loss-Bearing Fidelity: losses, hazards, or adjustment costs are routinely pushed onto workers, customers, suppliers, communities, or the public. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 0 scored entries below, 11 tied, 215 above on Loss-Bearing Fidelity. Linked evidence context CoreCivic describes itself as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. [1]
Market Conduct ? Pricing fairness, switching costs, lock-in, and rent extraction.	0 / 5	The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. That keeps CoreCivic low on Market Conduct: market power, lock-in, coercive pricing, or exclusionary conduct is a major part of the institution's position. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 0 scored entries below, 14 tied, 212 above on Market Conduct. Linked evidence CoreCivic describes itself as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. [1]
Product Integrity ? Preservation of quality rather than degradation for monetization.	1 / 5	The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. That keeps CoreCivic low on Product Integrity: the core offering is closely tied to harmful, addictive, deceptive, degrading, or low-integrity product design. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 5 scored entries below, 17 tied, 204 above on Product Integrity. Linked evidence context CoreCivic describes itself as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. [1]
Scale Integrity ? Whether growth improves or degrades fairness and accountability.	0 / 5	The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. The linked record identifies CoreCivic as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. That keeps CoreCivic low on Scale Integrity: scale magnifies harm, gatekeeping, opacity, or extraction rather than disciplining it. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 0 scored entries below, 13 tied, 213 above on Scale Integrity. Linked evidence context CoreCivic describes itself as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions. [1]

Penalties

Penalty	Applied	Why this penalty
Reversibility ? Applied when positive conduct depends on current living leaders, founders, family owners, or other person-contingent governance rather than durable structure. Range: -5 to 0.	-5	CoreCivic’s positive conduct is structurally reversible because the company remains a conventional private contractor whose core business includes detention, corrections, reentry, and government real estate rather than affected-person control. CoreCivic’s positive conduct is structurally reversible because the company remains a conventional private contractor whose core business includes detention, corrections, reentry, and government real estate rather than affected-person control. That warrants a severe Reversibility penalty because favorable conduct depends on current people or discretionary leadership rather than locked stakeholder structure. The value is near the floor because the conduct appears central, large-scale, repeated, or institutionally powerful rather than incidental. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 0 scored entries below, 95 tied, 131 above on Reversibility. Linked evidence CoreCivic’s positive conduct is structurally reversible because the company remains a conventional private contractor whose core business includes detention, corrections, reentry, and government real estate rather than affected-person control. [2]
Human Harm ? Severity, scale, culpability, vulnerable targets, willful reoffense, reputation laundering, pattern escalation, and time decay. Range: -20 to 0.	-16	CoreCivic says it works with U.S. Marshals Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide detention centers where detainees reside during judicial and diplomatic processes. CoreCivic says it works with U.S. Marshals Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide detention centers where detainees reside during judicial and diplomatic processes. That warrants a severe Human Harm penalty because ordinary operation, documented misconduct, or institutional power creates serious injury, deprivation, abuse, or foreseeable human damage. The value is near the floor because the conduct appears central, large-scale, repeated, or institutionally powerful rather than incidental. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 12 scored entries below, 1 tied, 213 above on Human Harm. Linked evidence CoreCivic says it works with U.S. Marshals Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide detention centers where detainees reside during judicial and diplomatic processes. [3]
Coercive Violence ? Direct or institutionally enabled killing, torture, detention abuse, armed repression, forced displacement, violent domination, or nonconsensual crisis-line emergency escalation that exposes callers to confinement or force. Range: -30 to 0.	-9	CoreCivic's corrections and detention business places confinement, custody, and state coercion at the center of its operating model. CoreCivic's corrections and detention business places confinement, custody, and state coercion at the center of its operating model. That warrants a limited Coercive Violence penalty because the institution uses, enables, profits from, or materially supports violent domination, detention abuse, war, or armed coercion. The value is limited because the linked record shows a real problem but not one that dominates the profile on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 10 scored entries below, 1 tied, 215 above on Coercive Violence. Linked evidence CoreCivic's corrections and detention business places confinement, custody, and state coercion at the center of its operating model. [4]
Policy Capture ? Private-interest attempts to bend law, regulation, subsidies, taxes, enforcement, trade, labor, safety, competition, environmental, healthcare, housing, surveillance, civil-liberties, or consumer policy against workers, customers, citizens, affected communities, or ecological life. Public-interest advocacy is not penalized merely because it is lobbying. Range: -15 to 0.	-10	OpenLobby records CORECIVIC lobbying on banking, finance, real estate with about $2.5M in spending across 29 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role. OpenLobby records CORECIVIC lobbying on banking, finance, real estate with about $2.5M in spending across 29 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role. That warrants a substantial Policy Capture penalty because private institutional pressure is being applied to public rules while affected people cannot democratically govern that agenda. The value is substantial but not at the floor because the linked record shows serious conduct without the strongest aggravating factors on this axis. Linked evidence OpenLobby records CORECIVIC lobbying on banking, finance, real estate with about $2.5M in spending across 29 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role. [7]
Accountability Opacity ? Material opacity, reputation laundering, or hidden accountability structures that prevent public accountability. Range: -2 to 0.	-2	CoreCivic presents detention capacity and government contracts as core business lines, including corrections, detention management, reentry, and real estate services. CoreCivic presents detention capacity and government contracts as core business lines, including corrections, detention management, reentry, and real estate services. That warrants a severe Accountability Opacity penalty because material facts, risks, conflicts, ownership, or accountability information are obscured from the public. The value is near the floor because the conduct appears central, large-scale, repeated, or institutionally powerful rather than incidental. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 0 scored entries below, 52 tied, 174 above on Accountability Opacity. Linked evidence CoreCivic presents detention capacity and government contracts as core business lines, including corrections, detention management, reentry, and real estate services. [5]
Ideological Disavowal ? Concealed ideology presented as neutrality, expertise, professional necessity, public-service administration, market inevitability, or non-ideological common sense while exercising power. Range: -3 to 0.	-2	CoreCivic's public framing is assessed as ideological-disavowal evidence because CoreCivic exercises meaningful institutional or cultural power while strongly presenting contested choices… CoreCivic's public framing is assessed as ideological-disavowal evidence because CoreCivic exercises meaningful institutional or cultural power while strongly presenting contested choices as neutral expertise, safety, objectivity, professionalism, administrative necessity, or public service. That warrants a substantial Ideological Disavowal penalty because the institution presents situated, contested choices as neutrality, expertise, inevitability, safety, or common sense. The value is substantial but not at the floor because the linked record shows serious conduct without the strongest aggravating factors on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Ideological Disavowal 0 to -3 recalibration: 0 for explicit standpoint or no penalty-level neutrality theater; -1 for bounded softening of contested choices; -2 for strong neutrality theater by a powerful institution; -3 for major gatekeeping or coercive power presented as neutral, necessary, objective, or non-ideological. Uncertainty This recalibration uses public self-presentation and profile evidence; later review should add direct language-analysis evidence for high-impact institutions. Linked evidence CoreCivic's public framing is assessed as ideological-disavowal evidence because CoreCivic exercises meaningful institutional or cultural power while strongly presenting contested choices as neutral expertise, safety, objectivity, professionalism, administrative necessity, or public service. [6]

Bonus Credits

No bonus credits applied in this version.

Confidence Basis

Confidence is computed from the evidence trail and review state, not typed into the profile by hand.

Medium 69/100

7 verified linked claims 7 direct axis claims 0 disputed claims 7/15 components covered

This confidence label measures the source-backed evidence trail. AI-scaffolded scores remain tentative until human review.

Claim confidence 18/20

7 verified linked claims

Source quality 12/18

Best source per verified claim, weighted by institutional reliability

Direct axis-specific claims 6/18

7 direct claims across 15 active components

Dispute load 12/12

0 disputed claims on this entity

Recency 10/10

Newest accepted timestamp: May 13, 2026

Reviewer status 7/12

Human-reviewed components score higher than AI scaffolding

Component coverage 5/10

7/15 evidence-bearing components have direct support

Evidence State

Profile stateAI draft / human-pending

VerificationUnverified

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)

ThoroughnessPartial (AI)

Correction routeUse “Challenge this rating” for factual errors, missing counterevidence, source problems, or calculation mistakes.

Company responseCompany representatives can submit source-backed corrections; payment never changes scores or reviewer authority.

Claims and Sources

Claims are the evidence record. Each claim needs a source link, axis category, status, confidence level, and timestamp before it can support a score.

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

1CoreCivic describes itself as a provider of corrections and detention management, residential and non-residential alternatives to incarceration, and government real estate solutions.

Market Conduct Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 6, 2026

AI scaffold

CoreCivic aboutOfficial self-description · 68%

2CoreCivic’s positive conduct is structurally reversible because the company remains a conventional private contractor whose core business includes detention, corrections, reentry, and government real estate rather than affected-person control.

Reversibility Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 6, 2026

AI scaffold

CoreCivic aboutOfficial self-description · 68%
CoreCivic detention servicesGeneral web source · 58%

3CoreCivic says it works with U.S. Marshals Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide detention centers where detainees reside during judicial and diplomatic processes.

Human Harm Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 6, 2026

AI scaffold

CoreCivic detention servicesGeneral web source · 58%

4CoreCivic's corrections and detention business places confinement, custody, and state coercion at the center of its operating model.

Coercive Violence Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 6, 2026

AI scaffold

CoreCivic detention servicesGeneral web source · 58%
CoreCivic aboutOfficial self-description · 68%

5CoreCivic presents detention capacity and government contracts as core business lines, including corrections, detention management, reentry, and real estate services.

Accountability Opacity Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 6, 2026

AI scaffold

CoreCivic safetyGeneral web source · 58%
CoreCivic aboutOfficial self-description · 68%

6CoreCivic's public framing is assessed as ideological-disavowal evidence because CoreCivic exercises meaningful institutional or cultural power while strongly presenting contested choices as neutral expertise, safety, objectivity, professionalism, administrative necessity, or public service.

Ideological Disavowal Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 9, 2026

AI scaffold

CoreCivic official siteGeneral web source · 58%
CoreCivic aboutOfficial self-description · 68%
CoreCivic detention servicesGeneral web source · 58%

7OpenLobby records CORECIVIC lobbying on banking, finance, real estate with about $2.5M in spending across 29 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role.

Policy Capture Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

OpenLobby — CORECIVIC lobbying profileGeneral web source · 58%

8CoreCivic receives the Private Government badge because it combines large-scale private rule-setting over customers, workers, users, members, or counterparties with OpenLobby-documented lobbying of about $2.5M on public policy issues.

Private Government Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

OpenLobby — CORECIVIC lobbying profileGeneral web source · 58%

Competitors

DEXTRACTIVE2 SpaceX private aerospace company · same market FMALIGNANT-13 Boeing public company · same market FMALIGNANT-37 The GEO Group private prison and detention contractor · same market

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Audit Log

Recent public changes for this company or group. The full audit log is part of the Transparency record.

May 6, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC ai-scaffolding

Added source-backed tentative evaluation during the A-grade/public-interest and nonobvious extraction expansion pass.

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