The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. February 15, 2012 Florida Blocks Massive Corporate Prison Plan --------------------------------------------- The Florida State Senate has defeated a measure that would have privatized at least 27 prisons, creating the largest corporate-run prison system in the country. Supporters of the Florida plan had touted it as a cost-saving measure, while critics said it would harm state workers and lead to a profit-driven system. Despite the vote, Republican Gov. Rick Scott could still privatize the prisons through executive authority. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the number of prisoners being added to privately-run jails is outpacing the overall prison population by 17 percent compared to 4 percent. .