CoreCivic : Releases 2020 ESG Report Detailing COVID-19 Response

On May 12, 2021, we released our 2020 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report, which details our steadfast response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, our continued commitment to successful reentry, our impact on the environment and the communities we serve, and much more. This is the third annual report we've issued since 2019.

In 2020, we worked to keep people safe while finding innovative ways to carry out life-changing programming that equips individuals to succeed after incarceration, and our frontline professionals worked tirelessly to protect human life while adapting to safe alternatives to in-person reentry programming. The 2020 ESG report highlights those accomplishments, as well as our progress in protecting the environment and promoting excellence in our corporate governance.

'We believe in constantly striving to be a better company and to find ways to make the most difference for the people we care for and our country as a whole,' said Damon Hininger, president and chief executive officer. 'I could not be more proud of our team of prepared, energetic, and always-eager-to-improve reentry professionals who introduced safe and socially-distanced alternative programming while conforming to evidence-based best practices.'

While COVID-19 forced us to temporarily suspend some in-person reentry services and affected our ability to deliver the same level of programming as years past, we laid the groundwork for a new approach to measuring the impact of our reentry programming, which ties performance to effective outcomes for individuals in the reentry process.

The report also outlines our response to the pandemic, detailing how our long-standing infectious disease management plans were adapted to the unique challenges posed by COVID-19, including the activation of our Emergency Operations Center (EOC), our use of state-of-the-art monitoring software, and the creation of the CoreCivic Coronavirus Response Committee (CRC). We also share how we were able to move quickly to secure adequate supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) companywide.

Also included in the report are findings by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Inspector General (OIG) that contractor-operated U.S. Marshals Service facilities like those operated by CoreCivic were safer, more accountable, and more responsive in mitigating risk from COVID-19 than publicly operated facilities.

Other topics covered in the report include:

• Development of 2021 our human rights goals, which include implementation of a new human rights policy, facility-level risk assessments, and delivery of training to more than 95% of employees
• Work to accelerate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, including the establishment of a DEI Council and Board-level DEI Committee, conscious inclusion training for leaders, and a comprehensive culture survey to gauge areas for improvement
• Environmental sustainability practices and goals, including smart water controls, LED retrofit projects, and green design and operations techniques to reduce the Company's carbon footprint
• Policy advocacy for state and federal legislation that removes barriers to reentry for justice-involved individuals and reduces recidivism. The Company successfully advocated for, among other measures, restoring Pell Grants, voting rights, and expungement opportunities for formerly incarcerated people
• Advocating for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to have states cap intrastate Inmate Telephone Services rates to better enable families to stay in contact with incarcerated loved ones
• Community support efforts, through which CoreCivic contributed more than $2.7 million to organizations working with formerly incarcerated people, victims of crime, underserved youth, and those impacted by the pandemic

'I am grateful for the collective efforts of our facility leaders and staff who worked tirelessly to protect lives over the past year,' Hininger said. 'From nurses and correctional officers to supply chain analysts, we put the right people in the right places, and their efforts were nothing short of heroic.'

To read the full report, click here.