06-25-2012, 01:35 PM
Carried over from the "Pot Criminalization" thread for specific discussion.
@Shitstorm brought up the issue of private prisons in another thread awhile back too.
I was pretty ignorant about the extent to which private sector prisons are being used and checked it out a bit. I would argue that the government still generally controls the prison system, but the private sector is growing and now houses 16.5% of federal prisoners and about 7% of state prisoners. The vast majority of prisoners still remain in government run facilities.
These statistics blew me away:
- More than 2.3 million people are locked up in the US.
- The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world.
- One out of 100 American adults is behind bars – while a stunning one out of 32 is on probation, parole or in prison.
- The US prison system is a $74 billion a year industry.
- More than 800,000 people in the US are employed in the prison industry.
- 26 jobs are created for every new 100 prisoners.
Some of the potential effects of a growing private prison sector actually scare me. They do indeed get paid by the head and the two largest players in the industry (CCA and GEO Corp) are doing big business running prisons with non-union personnel; $2.9 billion in combined revenue for 2010.
They claim to be cheaper to run than the government-run prisons, but that's being disputed now with some financial audits and reports showing that there is marginal difference in the true cost to the tax payers as compared to government run prisons.
The private facilities don't want to take high maintenance prisoners who require more monitoring and/or healthcare. They have a vested interest in keeping cells full and, according to reports, have been lobbying for policies that promote harsher laws and longer sentences (though they claim they are just filling an existing overflow need and dedicated to lawfulness).
Who are the preferred prisoners for adult private prisons? Yep, those arrested for marijuana possession and those being detained for immigration violations; typically, not violent and healthier (thus, cheaper to house).
So, I'd agree from a business perspective that the private sector corporations have an incentive to not want marijuana possession decriminalized. The number of possession arrests is staggering and keeps cells filled with the preferred prisoner types. But, I'm not sure how much power the CCA and GEO Corp really have when it comes to lobbying for policies that lead to higher rates of incarceration; couldn't find any relevant data.
I'm also not sure if the private sector will continue to expand (at least at the same rate) given some of the problems its experienced with security breaches, escapes, and the bribing of judges in the "cash for kids" private juvenile facility scandal. Private prisons may also appear less attractive if ongoing research concludes that many of them are no cheaper for the government / tax payers considering the problems that routinely arise and have to be addressed due to lower levels of security and lesser-trained staff.
Is there a realistic concern that laws and sentences are intentionally overly harsh for the purpose of incarcerating more people (and for longer) in order to fuel the prison system business?
References:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/44762286/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-w-whi...14467.html
Bureau of Justice Statistics: Corrections:
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=1
Quote:Kenny Powers wrote:
The prison system is not controlled by the government but by the private sector. Big, powerful, influential corporations. Decriminalization of pot would put a huge dent on their business. They get paid per inmate, and they want the cash. They control the system now and won't allow change. Business is thriving... the government spends more on prisoners than on education, and the future is bright.
@Shitstorm brought up the issue of private prisons in another thread awhile back too.
I was pretty ignorant about the extent to which private sector prisons are being used and checked it out a bit. I would argue that the government still generally controls the prison system, but the private sector is growing and now houses 16.5% of federal prisoners and about 7% of state prisoners. The vast majority of prisoners still remain in government run facilities.
These statistics blew me away:
- More than 2.3 million people are locked up in the US.
- The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world.
- One out of 100 American adults is behind bars – while a stunning one out of 32 is on probation, parole or in prison.
- The US prison system is a $74 billion a year industry.
- More than 800,000 people in the US are employed in the prison industry.
- 26 jobs are created for every new 100 prisoners.
Some of the potential effects of a growing private prison sector actually scare me. They do indeed get paid by the head and the two largest players in the industry (CCA and GEO Corp) are doing big business running prisons with non-union personnel; $2.9 billion in combined revenue for 2010.
They claim to be cheaper to run than the government-run prisons, but that's being disputed now with some financial audits and reports showing that there is marginal difference in the true cost to the tax payers as compared to government run prisons.
The private facilities don't want to take high maintenance prisoners who require more monitoring and/or healthcare. They have a vested interest in keeping cells full and, according to reports, have been lobbying for policies that promote harsher laws and longer sentences (though they claim they are just filling an existing overflow need and dedicated to lawfulness).
Who are the preferred prisoners for adult private prisons? Yep, those arrested for marijuana possession and those being detained for immigration violations; typically, not violent and healthier (thus, cheaper to house).
So, I'd agree from a business perspective that the private sector corporations have an incentive to not want marijuana possession decriminalized. The number of possession arrests is staggering and keeps cells filled with the preferred prisoner types. But, I'm not sure how much power the CCA and GEO Corp really have when it comes to lobbying for policies that lead to higher rates of incarceration; couldn't find any relevant data.
I'm also not sure if the private sector will continue to expand (at least at the same rate) given some of the problems its experienced with security breaches, escapes, and the bribing of judges in the "cash for kids" private juvenile facility scandal. Private prisons may also appear less attractive if ongoing research concludes that many of them are no cheaper for the government / tax payers considering the problems that routinely arise and have to be addressed due to lower levels of security and lesser-trained staff.
Is there a realistic concern that laws and sentences are intentionally overly harsh for the purpose of incarcerating more people (and for longer) in order to fuel the prison system business?
References:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/44762286/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-w-whi...14467.html
Bureau of Justice Statistics: Corrections:
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=1