CHICAGO – Illinois will no longer allow for-profit civil detention centers under a bill Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law today. State Senator Omar Aquino (D-Chicago) co-sponsored the legislation in the Senate.

“Today is a major victory for those who value justice,” said Aquino. “Now that we have banned for-profit detention, the next step is to craft policies that will rehabilitate and prepare people to re-enter society as involved and productive citizens.”

Private prisons are already banned in Illinois, but other privately run detention centers were not. House Bill 2040 expressly prohibits the State of Illinois, any unit of local government, county sheriff or state agency among others from coordinating the development of any private detention center. The bill was filed partly in response to a decision by the Village of Dwight to annex land to build an immigration detention center. The detention center was slated to be managed and operated by Immigration Centers of America, a for-profit corporation.

“It is completely immoral to profit off of detaining people,” said Aquino. “Today Illinois made the right decision to end this horrible practice.”

House Bill 2040 takes effect immediately.