Wall Street giant offers to buy state prisons in all 48 states, wants assurance they will remain 90% full

[YukonTrooper]

From Huffington Post:

As state governments wrestle with massive budget shortfalls, a Wall Street giant is offering a solution: cash in exchange for state property. Prisons, to be exact.

Corrections Corporation of America, the nation's largest operator of for-profit prisons, has sent letters recently to 48 states offering to buy up their prisons as a remedy for "challenging corrections budgets."

In exchange, the company is asking for a 20-year management contract, plus an assurance that the prison would remain at least 90 percent full, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Huffington Post.

The move reflects a significant shift in strategy for the private prison industry, which until now has expanded by building prisons of its own or managing state-controlled prisons. It also represents an unprecedented bid for more control of state prison systems.

You'd think that these monsters that profit off of human misery would be a little more discrete in doing business. It's because of powerful interests like these and their political cronies that things like the Drug War continues.

Is there anyone that agrees with this nonsense? Even Orwell and Huxley didn't think up like this.

[eddy_purpus]

Asking for a 90% in all prisons is like asking the government to arrest more people and keep more in jail- even if they are innocent..

Interesting.


Forced labour anyone?

[Voodo chile]

Don't prisons usually drain money? It costs an awful amount to keep people in them. 50-100k per year depending on the circumstances. Unless of course...a source of free labour..

EDIT: epic sig man. Lol that is just wierd.

[Exarch]

reminds me of the cops in the game Freelancer who need to get more perps to work in prison factories; but in any case, this should serve as a reminder to anyone who believes blindly in capitalism above all.
Some aspects of capitalism are beneficial, yes; other aspects such as this...not so much.

[YuriVII]

Mussolini defined fascism as the collusion of corporations and the state into one entity- the corporate state. According to Mussolini's definition of fascism this is a textbook example.

What's wrong USG? Too lazy to support the production of actual products to sell we have to enslave our own population now?

Law Enforcement and Justice is exclusive monopoly of the state in any democratic country. This is to be a nationalized industry (it should not even be considered an industry) at all times because this industry ehem PUBLIC SERVICE has to be responsible to the citizens and the laws that protect those citizens.

You know I bash USA a lot on this forum and I do it out of love. It's a good country its got a good history and good ideals, but man you know its going down a dark road that many other countries went down to their doom.

[boofhead]

Mussolini defined fascism as the collusion of corporations and the state into one entity- the corporate state. According to Mussolini's definition of fascism this is a textbook example.

What's wrong USG? Too lazy to support the production of actual products to sell we have to enslave our own population now?

Law Enforcement and Justice is exclusive monopoly of the state in any democratic country. This is to be a nationalized industry (it should not even be considered an industry) at all times because this industry ehem PUBLIC SERVICE has to be responsible to the citizens and the laws that protect those citizens.

You know I bash USA a lot on this forum and I do it out of love. It's a good country its got a good history and good ideals, but man you know its going down a dark road that many other countries went down to their doom.

I agree 100%. Justice is not something to be outsourced.

You're talking slavery here.

It's morally disgusting.

[Stívarðr Reynitré]

A shadowy figure, perched at the head of a table enveloped in darkness, makes a pyramid of doom with his hands, "Guarantee they remain 90% full..."

"Yes, Overlord," replies a snivelling man, smartly dressed and half bowed in terrified reverence, "we will see to it..."

It's like something from a low budget 1980's post-apocalyptic movie...

[Exarch]

keep this up, 1%, and you'll have the second American Revolution sooner than you'd like

[Necromancer]

I'm not a big fan of state/State regulation, but prisons are one of those things that should be regulated.

I HIGHLY doubt that any of this will happen. But, I'll keep an eye on this anyway. Should be interesting to see what goes down.

[Claudius Gothicus]

In exchange, the company is asking for a 20-year management contract, plus an assurance that the prison would remain at least 90 percent full, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Huffington Post.

That's just some nasty chronie-like Capitalism.

I wonder who came up with the idea of putting people in jail for profit in the first place...

[Stívarðr Reynitré]

San Quentin...sponsored by McDonalds.

"Bringing you incarceration with a side of fries..."

[MathiasOfAthens]

This is just ridiculous.

Private prisons are not run more efficiently, they are run worse. The state still pays the corporation to house the criminals. The prison though to save money locks people up longer and employs less guards and staff to run the place. I wonder how they would deal with the worst offenders seeing how all they deal with is kids. They could just lock up people all day long.

[alhoon]

In exchange, the company is asking for a 20-year management contract, plus an assurance that the prison would remain at least 90 percent full, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Huffington Post.

I seriously doupt the validity of that letter. There is no way to guarantee that people will keep being sent to jail or that they will lose their appeals etc.
Perhaps they asked that no other state prisons would be built in those 20 years? I.e. trying to make sure that the majority of criminals will be directed in their hands?

Also, why a company is allowed to own prisons and keep people under lock (even with the nation's approval)?
Bringing private sector into this, could very well lead to lobbying towards harsher measures, longer prison terms, less appeals etc.

[Claudius Gothicus]

I seriously doupt the validity of that letter. There is no way to guarantee that people will keep being sent to jail or that they will lose their appeals etc.
Perhaps they asked that no other state prisons would be built in those 20 years? I.e. trying to make sure that the majority of criminals will be directed in their hands?

There's a way to guarantee more inmates, basically you lobby for hardcore legislation like Three Strikes. You jail first offenders on minor crimes like marijuana possession and other stuff.

Also, why a company is allowed to own prisons and keep people under lock (even with the nation's approval)?
Bringing private sector into this, could very well lead to lobbying towards harsher measures, longer prison terms, less appeals etc.

Because somewhere and some point, during the 80's, American Politicians lost track of why did the State and Public Property exist in the first place.

[Genius of the Restoration]

If the Corporation wants a full prisoner population to help their bottom line, isn't it against their interests to successfully rehabilitate people? An amusing, and sad, clash of interests.

[Principe Alessandro]

Come to Italy, our prisons are 125% full.

[florin87]

Come to Italy, our prisons are 125% full.

but you don't have as many prisons and as many prisoners (% of the total population)

[magpie]

Hmm. This sort of proposal just about sums up a Nation heading for moral bankruptcy.

[Sir Winston Churchill]

This is just screaming corporate police state...

[Azog 150]

I find something very unsettling about private ownership of prisons. Making profit off imprisoning your own citizens?