FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, January 29, 2026

Contact: Elisa Rivera at Elisa.Rivera@sen.ca.gov or (559) 264-3070

Senator Anna Caballero Introduces Legislation to Hold For-Profit Detention Centers Accountable Who Endanger the Health and Safety of Detainees

Sacramento, CA — Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced) today introduced Senate Bill 942, the Private Detention Facility Oversight and Standards Act of 2026, legislation that requires privately operated detention facilities doing business in California to obtain a state license to operate consistent with their own federal contracts, or face enforcement penalties.

“No human should be detained for profit,” said Senator Caballero. “No amount of oversight makes mass detention just. But while people are being held inside these walls today, California has a responsibility to act. Silence and inaction ignore basic human rights obligations. It allows abuse to continue.”

Privately operated detention facilities hold thousands of individuals in California each year under federal contracts. For years, reports from government oversight agencies, civil rights organizations, and families have documented inadequate medical care, unsafe living conditions, unsanitary and inadequate food and water, and preventable illness, injury, and death. Despite repeated violations, many operators continue to profit while accountability remains weak or nonexistent.

“This bill is not an endorsement of detention,” Caballero said. “It is a refusal to allow private corporations to profit from abusing or neglecting to care for people held in detention under federal contracts.”

Although these facilities operate under federal contracts, they function as for-profit businesses inside California. The state already licenses and regulates private entities that provide health and custodial care. Private detention facilities have operated without state oversight, and have been found to be noncompliant, despite contractual obligations that they agreed to follow.

Investigations by the California Department of Justice, the Federal Government Accountability Office, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, and civil litigation have repeatedly documented delayed medical treatment, chronic understaffing, unsafe living conditions, unsanitary and inadequate food and water supplies, and refusals to correct violations. In many cases, facilities continued operating despite documented violations of their own contractual obligations.

The Private Detention Facility Oversight and Standards Act of 2026 closes this regulatory gap by requiring private detention facilities to obtain a state license through the State Department of Public Health as a condition of operating in California. Licensure would be tied to compliance with the health and safety standards already required under federal contracts.

The bill authorizes license issuance, denial, suspension, or revocation, and establishes strong enforcement tools including civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation per day and mandatory corrective action plans. It also includes whistleblower protections to prohibit retaliation against anyone who reports health or safety violations.

“Oversight is not approval. Oversight is exposure,” Caballero said. “This bill draws a clear line. If you want to operate in California, you will be accountable, or you will not operate at all. We hope to live in a society one day where no one is held in detention for profit, and people are allowed to go through the immigration process while remaining in their communities and with their families. Until that day, we have a responsibility to reduce harm NOW while people are inside these facilities. California will not wait for Washington to act while people suffer behind closed doors. We will protect life, expose abuse, and eliminate profiteering from cruelty in our state.”

SB 942 is part of a package of legislation introduced by Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced) and Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) addressing rampant profiteering in private detention facilities in California. The package also includes SB 941 which would prohibit the excessive markup of products sold at private detention facilities.

“A federal contract is not a license to gouge immigrants for basic necessities,” said Senator Steve Padilla. “We’ve got to put a stop to these predatory practices and ensure human dignity in these facilities.”

For interviews or inquiries, please contact: Elisa Rivera at (559) 264-3070

About Senator Anna M. Caballero
Senator Anna M. Caballero represents California’s 14th Senate District, which includes much of Merced, Fresno, and Madera Counties. She is Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and a member of several other committees. Senator Caballero continues to work tirelessly on behalf of her district for policies that strengthen California’s agricultural industry, protects working families, supports affordable, accessible healthcare for all and fosters economic development across the state.

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