Privately Owned Prisons Are a Nightmare

[Aristotle]

I predicted stuff like this would happen as soon as I first learned about privately owned prisons.

Pennsylvania Judge Sentenced For 28 Years For Selling Kids to the Prison System

Mark Ciavarella Jr, a 61-year old former judge in Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison for literally selling young juveniles for cash. He was convicted of accepting money in exchange for incarcerating thousands of adults and children into a prison facility owned by a developer who was paying him under the table. The kickbacks amounted to more than $1 million.

Sometimes I hate being right.

This is the INEVITABLE outcome of privately owned prisons. This will keep happening. There is absolutely no question. No amount of rules or regulations will prevent this. When there is a profit motive based on more people being in prison, there will be more people put in prison. Period.

I have no idea how we can reverse this trend. Privately owned prisons are straight out of a sci-fi dystopia. They cannot be allowed to exist.

[Frobozz]

I predicted stuff like this would happen as soon as I first learned about privately owned prisons.

Pennsylvania Judge Sentenced For 28 Years For Selling Kids to the Prison System



Sometimes I hate being right.

This is the INEVITABLE outcome of privately owned prisons. This will keep happening. There is absolutely no question. No amount of rules or regulations will prevent this. When there is a profit motive based on more people being in prison, there will be more people put in prison. Period.

I have no idea how we can reverse this trend. Privately owned prisons are straight out of a sci-fi dystopia. They cannot be allowed to exist.

Oh man. Dont even get me started on this topic, I've been fighting against it for the last 5 years.

Sadly - in the federal system the inmates BEG to go to CCA, which is a privately owned federal prison company. Despite the huge number of abuses, oversight problems, they are still better than the government owned facilities.

Ohio switched a few years ago to private run prisons, sucks major ass but is infinitely better than the three major county jails - Cuyahoga (cleveland), Franlin (Columbus) and Hamilton (Cincy). People beg to get out of county jails to get into prison, I've had clients beg me to let them just plea guilty so they can get out of the cesspools.

[Aristotle]

Sadly - in the federal system the inmates BEG to go to CCA, which is a privately owned federal prison company. Despite the huge number of abuses, oversight problems, they are still better than the government owned facilities.

While that's definitely a concern, what scares me more is when people have a profit motive for putting you in or keeping you in.

[Rosuav]

Sadly - in the federal system the inmates BEG to go to CCA, which is a privately owned federal prison company. Despite the huge number of abuses, oversight problems, they are still better than the government owned facilities.

Here's an idea. Let's bring in the death penalty for all crimes that currently involve jail time! No more jails, no more problems... right? I mean, that can't have any problems of its own, right?

[Frobozz]

While that's definitely a concern, what scares me more is when people have a profit motive for putting you in or keeping you in.

Yeah that is a huge concern, in the Federal system it is a little less dangerous for two reasons: (1) lifetime appointments (with the exception of the magistrates that are 15 years a pop), and (2) federal sentencing guidelines take away almost all discretion. Though as I type this I guess we could say that while the judges are not in the pockets of the prison corporations we can certainly agree the people writing the guidelines are (congress).

The State systems are all kinds of corrupt.

[Gromgor]

Having worked as a Correctional Officer in a state level prison system, I can't even begin to describe to you just how political the entire prison system is from the ground floor and going up.

It's a shit hole run by criminals and my time spent as an officer gave me an insight into the "justice" system everyone should experience. There's only three kinds of cops, correctional officers and other law enforcement bodies (including lawyers, judges, etc.) There's Dirty officers, Officers covering for dirty officers, and there's incompetent officers. A for profit prison system cultivates an organization built almost entirely on the first group.

[Aristotle]

There's only three kinds of cops, correctional officers and other law enforcement bodies (including lawyers, judges, etc.) There's Dirty officers, Officers covering for dirty officers, and there's incompetent officers. A for profit prison system cultivates an organization built almost entirely on the first group.

This is a terrifying insight.

The Pitchforks Are Coming… For Us Plutocrats

[Frobozz]

Having worked as a Correctional Officer in a state level prison system, I can't even begin to describe to you just how political the entire prison system is from the ground floor and going up.

It's a shit hole run by criminals and my time spent as an officer gave me an insight into the "justice" system everyone should experience. There's only three kinds of cops, correctional officers and other law enforcement bodies (including lawyers, judges, etc.) There's Dirty officers, Officers covering for dirty officers, and there's incompetent officers. A for profit prison system cultivates an organization built almost entirely on the first group.

I think there is a fourth category of cop - the newbie - then after around a month he gets to be classified into one of the other groups.

The entire prison system is ridiculous, I have a 13 year old client in prison with adults. Client was represented by some dumbass who had him plea out (hint: DNA was not his) and while fighting to get him out he's learning how to become a real criminal.

/rant

[Kailen]

This type of madness has been happening for over a century now. Unfortunately, its a problem that overwhelmingly affected
communities of color, and now the dragnet expands to the majority.

Here is a book that I read for my Civil Rights class at U of Michigan. I've also been lucky to attend Michelle Alexanders speaking engagements.


It really gives insight to the tactics and methodologies used, and explains how some of the tragic happenings of the Jim Crow Era are
still relevant just under different actors.

[Reshad]

*pops Death Race into the DVD player*