0
8

[–] Lighting 0 points 8 points (+8|-0) ago  (edited ago)

The article says that money isn't the main issue, and says

Private prisons only control 8 percent of prison beds

But that's a 5-year-out-of-date statistic and way too low.

  1. If you look at prisons which are entirely privately owned in 2010 it was 8% across the entire US, 8.2% in 2011, 8.7% in 2012. In 2013 the number of federal prisoners dropped for the first time since 1980, but apparently not in private prisons as in 2013 the private prison population for federal prisoners grew to 15% of federal prisoners . Part of that is that it's a state by state decision: For example a year ago in AZ 20% of the AZ state prison population was in privately run prisons, In Louisiana its 50%

  2. That old 8% number does not count public prisons which are ... RUN by private companies or local community prisons run by a sheriff for profit. You can have a "for profit" prison just run by a corrupt sheriff. LA has a ton of those and it's a real problem.

  3. Does not count youth correctional facilities like this one caught giving kickbacks to judges, lawmakers, etc to send more and more people to jail for profit.

So - the article's main point that money isn't a major driving factor of the growth in incarceration isn't true. Money is a contributing factor.

0
1

[–] Scotcheggs 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

The DA Judges etc all get money from it as well from what are probably 150k+ salaries at the least. The system get like $100 a day or so for each bed filled.

0
9

[–] LemurLicker 0 points 9 points (+9|-0) ago 

When there's a shitload of money to be made by putting people in jail, people will be put in jail. When there's a shitload of money to be made by arming police, police will be armed. Welcome to America where almost everything is about money.