Prison

the prison industrial complex. The prison industrial complex is a term used to describe the overlapping interests of government and industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to economic, social and political problems. The prison industrial complex allows private prisons to profit off inmates, thereby giving the motivation to retain non-violent inmates and fueling corruption throughout all levels of the US criminal justice system. The true victim in all the prison…

Prisons are a multi-billion dollar industry which relies on the incarceration of criminals. The United States is the number one country for the highest incarceration rate. Incarceration rates continue to rise, and with the increasing population and limited facilities to house inmates prisons are becoming more impacted. There are three types of prisons that house criminals, state prisons, federal prisons and private prisons. With prisons overcrowding, it becomes difficult to decently manage the…

taken away from our taxes is used to support our federal prisons which require a set amount of money in order to continue thriving and providing the correct care for prisoners. It has been shown that annual state spending on corrections has reached a peak of $51 billion and unsurprisingly, prisons account for the vast majority of this cost (Time Served: The High Cost, Low Return of Longer Prison Terms). Now some would say that if the prisons need that money then by all means take it to help…

How can private prisons be a Billion-dollar business? It’s simple supply and demand. The prisoners are the supply and filing the prison is the demand. When the supply and the demand hits, the market clearing price they can start making money. In the private prisons contract with the government if the prisons are not filled to a certain amount the US government is fined for not filling those prisons. This adds an incentive for the government to deny parole and cut rehabilitation for…

state, federal, and private prisons. Studies have shown that the United States has imprisoned more people than any other country. One and a half million more people in the United States have been locked up compared to China, and China has five times greater the population than the United States. The United States holds twenty-five percent of the world’s prison population, but only five percent of the world’s population. The Progressive Labor Party has accused the prison industry of being “an…

The Downfall of Private Prisons The privatization of jails and prisons in the United States are becoming more and more popular with 122 adult prisons and 252 juvenile facilities, capable of holding more than 160,000 inmates for the past 8 years. These facilities have pros and cons however, 32 states contract with private sector prisons and almost 17 percent of adult inmates are held in private prisons. (Allen, Latessa, and Ponder) The major arguments against privatization are cost, insurance,…

ethical concerns rise as the US prison system goes through several changes and find ways to refine their system, but with change comes consequences. Prisons use workarounds in order to reduce costs which end up being entirely unethical. Prisons also have a lack of institutions that help prevent multiple incarcerations, prisons use prisoners for cheap labor, and prisons provide too much comforts for the inmates. All these topics spark discussions on the ethics of the prison system. Understanding…

largest prison population in the world. Yes, higher than dictatorships and military states. Prison privatization is a major issue for many important reasons. However, it is an issue that is completely overlooked and unknown in the rhetoric of our nation. Private prison corporations can influence our government and lawmakers into making and enforcing stricter laws on us, the citizens, and make life difficult for those in the prison system, their families and those who work there. Privatized…

Also, prisoners get little care in prison (bad food, little health care, etc.) The food is really bad, but they have no choice but to eat it. Some get medical help, but most of the time not as fast as they need it. "How much of a security risk could a terminally ill, physically weak 65-year-old man really pose?" (Allison and Hattenstone 2013). Michael Tyrrell, 65, was sentenced to 29 years in prison for drug smuggling. He served 13 years because he passed away from throat cancer. Even when he…

you; you wake up, read the paper, and drink your coffee. You work at the East Cambridge Prison, where you keep the inmates in order by whipping them, chaining them up, and by not giving them food. You know that the conditions are wrong and inhumane, but it’s a well-paying job. You don’t speak out because you’re worried about your family and three kids at home who need to be fed. Stories like these occurred in prisons and mental institutions all around the world. The History.com editors, writers…