Abolish Private Prisons

What Abolish Private Prisons does

Abolish Private Prisons is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public-interest law firm founded in June 2015 and headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. The organization's stated mission is to use the United States federal court system to end the practice of incarcerating people for profit, drawing inspiration from Brown v. Board of Education. It pursues this mission through three principal activities: (1) constitutional litigation in federal courts challenging the legality of private prison operations, (2) coalition building with faith-based organizations, civil rights groups, legal organizations, labor groups, and universities that have passed resolutions calling for abolition, and (3) public education through its Prison $ells podcast, blog content ("Our Take"), media op-eds, and university presentations.

The organization's core legal offering is the Nielsen v. Shinn lawsuit filed in June 2020 on behalf of the Arizona State Conference of the NAACP and incarcerated individuals, arguing that prison privatization violates the 13th, 8th, and 14th Amendments. The case was argued before the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in May 2023 and remains pending. Its secondary offerings include coalition advocacy, exemplified by a 26-organization letter delivered to Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, and the Prison $ells podcast hosted by Executive Director John Dacey, Associate Director Robert Craig, and former NFL player Tank Johnson.

Abolish Private Prisons operates a donation-based revenue model with no commercial pricing. Funding comes from tax-deductible individual contributions processed via Network for Good and grants from a small set of named foundations (Satterberg Foundation, The Michael and Alice Kuhn Foundation, and Vitalyst Health Foundation). The organization accepts Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs and 401(k) accounts. It does not sell products or services, has no disclosed revenue or headcount, and operates with a lean team anchored by experienced litigators, a Litigation Steering Committee that includes former Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas A. Zlaket, and a board of directors drawn from legal, advocacy, and academic backgrounds.

Name

Abolish Private Prisons

Legal name

Abolish Private Prisons

Website

https://abolishprivateprisons.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Abolish Private Prisons is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public-interest law firm founded in 2015 that uses federal constitutional litigation, coalition advocacy, and public education to challenge the legality of for-profit private prisons, with the Nielsen v. Shinn case currently before the Ninth Circuit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Interest Legal Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Offices of Lawyers (541110), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Adult Corrections (Prisons & Jails) (BPAIAFAD), Criminal Defense (BPAHAAAN)

Keywords

• Public interest law
• Constitutional litigation
• Criminal justice reform
• Nonprofit advocacy
• Legal aid services

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible contributions from individual donors that provide funding for building infrastructure and litigation efforts. The organization states 'Your tax-deductible contribution will provide vital funding for building the infrastructure necessary to win a fight of this scale.'
2. Foundation Grants: Grant funding from foundations including Satterberg Foundation, The Michael and Alice Kuhn Foundation, and Vitalyst Health Foundation. These grants have been crucial to developing the organization and specific projects.
3. Qualified Charitable Distributions: Accepts donations from traditional, SIMPLE, and SEP IRAs and 401(k) accounts through qualified charitable distribution (QCD) rules for donors aged 70½ or older.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Abolish Private Prisons is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public-interest law firm that uses the U.S. federal court system to challenge the constitutionality of for-profit private prisons. The organization files constitutional litigation, builds coalitions with allied advocacy groups, and produces public-education content to advance its mission of abolishing private prisons. Its work is funded by individual donations and foundation grants.

Product overview

Abolish Private Prisons is a 501c(3) non-profit organization founded in 2015 for the purpose of using the United States court system to end the practice of locking people up for profit. The organization operates as a public-interest law firm focused on constitutional litigation, with the primary activities being: (1) federal court litigation challenging the constitutionality of private prisons (Nielsen v. Shinn case), (2) advocacy and coalition building with allied organizations, and (3) educational outreach through content including the Prison $ells podcast and published blog posts. The organization does not offer a technology product or platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nielsen v. Shinn Litigation
• Prison $ells Podcast
• Coalition Building & Advocacy

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully advocated for non-renewal of MTC contract at Marana Correctional Center, saving Arizona $15 million
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered ally.

• African American Christian Clergy CoalitionallyStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization that is part of the broad-based coalition working to end private prisons. Has passed resolutions calling for abolition of private prisons.
• The Multifaith Initiative to End Mass Incarceration (EMI)allyStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterfaith coalition working within the criminal justice reform movement to end mass incarceration and private prisons.
• Local First ArizonaallyStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal organization that is part of the coalition working with Abolish Private Prisons.
• End the ExceptionallyStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization working on criminal justice reform issues that has partnered with Abolish Private Prisons.
• The Center for Social Concerns at the University of Notre DameallyStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity center that is part of the coalition supporting Abolish Private Prisons' mission to abolish private prisons.
• LatinoJustice PRLDEFallyStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization that filed an amicus brief in support of APP's Nielsen v. Shinn lawsuit challenging private prison constitutionality.
• Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE)allyStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization of criminal justice reform advocates that is part of the broad-based coalition opposing private prisons.
• Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform (UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law)allyStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic center that is part of the coalition supporting Abolish Private Prisons and advancing research on racial justice and criminal justice reform.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Center for Constitutional Rights: Progressive public interest law firm dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Like APP, it pursues high-impact constitutional litigation in federal courts as its central organizing strategy.
• Brennan Center for Justice: Nonpartisan law and policy institute at NYU that combines constitutional and legal advocacy, research, and litigation to reform the criminal justice system. Comparable to Abolish Private Prisons in its lawyer-led, court-and-policy hybrid model targeting systemic criminal justice issues.
• The Sentencing Project: Research and advocacy organization working to reduce the use of incarceration and address racial disparities in the criminal justice system. Shares APP’s advocacy approach to private prisons, mass incarceration, and constitutional reform.
• Equal Justice Initiative: Nonprofit legal advocacy and public education organization focused on ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States. Compares to APP as a litigation-and-education hybrid targeting private prison and criminal justice abuses.
• Vera Institute of Justice: National criminal justice reform organization that works with government and communities to reduce incarceration and advance justice. Comparable to APP in its legal-policy-research portfolio aimed at ending mass incarceration and private prison reliance.
• Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law: National nonpartisan legal organization that mobilizes lawyers to use litigation and advocacy to advance civil rights. Mirrors APP's model of using the courts to challenge systemic injustice, with broader civil rights scope.

Emerging players

• Justice Action Network: Nonprofit criminal justice reform advocacy organization focused on state-level legislative campaigns. Comparable to APP in mission alignment on ending private prisons and mass incarceration, with a more state-policy orientation rather than federal litigation.

Broad incumbents

• ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union): Large national legal and advocacy organization with a broad civil liberties mandate, including extensive criminal justice reform and constitutional litigation work. Operates at greater scale and across more issues than APP, but pursues comparable constitutional strategies.
• Southern Poverty Law Center: Civil rights legal advocacy organization combining impact litigation, education, and coalition work on criminal justice and constitutional issues. Comparable to APP's litigation-centered, advocacy-hybrid model in the criminal justice space.
• NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund: National civil rights legal organization that conducts impact litigation on racial justice and criminal justice issues. APP already represents the Arizona State Conference of the NAACP in Nielsen v. Shinn, making this a directly aligned comparator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/abolishprivateprisons
• Xx.com/abolishprivate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/abolish-private-prisons

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Abolish Private Prisons