Private Detention Corporate Accountability Act of 2026

This bill establishes a private right of action, allowing the decedent or any successor in interest to sue private detention centers for the wrongful death of any person held within them. Actions can be brought in a U.S. district court, seeking statutory damages of not less than $5,000,000, in addition to economic and appropriate punitive damages.

The legislation holds both the individual officer or employee causing the wrongful death and the private detention center vicariously liable for such harm. Crucially, it explicitly states that no officer or employee may assert any form of absolute or qualified immunity as a defense to liability under this section.

A "private detention center" is defined as a private entity with a Federal Government contract to hold individuals for alleged civil, criminal, or immigration law violations.