While private prisons with a profit margin continue to be built and used in the United States, one facility in Washington D.C. is being eyed as the possible home for a completely different project. Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants, or CURE, a prison reform group comprised mainly of former inmates, wants to convert this private jail into what they say would be the first nonprofit lockup in the country, if not the world. The idea is so radically different than the current prison norm that even just a preliminary CURE meeting to determine if the concept should be looked into further is enough to catch the media’s eye.

Who knows prisons better than the formerly incarcerated? CURE’s executive director, Charlie Sullivan feels that “[private and government-run prisons are playing defense; we need to play offense. We need to give people an opportunity to change their lives.” Would a fresh perspective from dedicated individuals be enough to create an entirely new prison culture?

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