Across the United States, hundreds of jails have eliminated in-person family visits over the last decade. Why has this happened? The answer highlights a profound flaw in how decisions too often get made in our legal system: for-profit jail telecom companies realized that they could earn more profit from phone and video calls if jails eliminated free in-person visits for families. So the companies offered sheriffs and county jails across the country a deal: if you eliminate family visits, we’ll give you a cut of the increased profits from the larger number of calls. This led to a wave across the country, as local jails sought to supplement their budgets with hundreds of millions of dollars in cash from some of the poorest families in our society.
Prisoners shouldn’t need to pay to talk with their families. We claim that our system is intended for rehabilitation. What could possibly lead to better outcomes than the ability to keep in touch with your family; to be made to feel human while serving your sentence? The US justice system is a fucking joke and for-profit prison shareholders are the only ones laughing.
Incarceration should have no profit motive, regardless of whether that profit motive benefits a for-profit company and its shareholders or the local Sheriff’s department.
The answer highlights a profound flaw in how decisions too often get made in our legal system
The fact that the author, despite them providing all of this evidence to the contrary, still thinks (or is at least reporting) that this is a bug, not a feature, is absolutely enraging.
So you’re anti-reform? What? Are we going back to stoning people to death in your Utopia? I’m missing something about this conversation.
Reminder that prisons are slavery with extra steps
they’re gonna use the sun this time. it’ll be awesome
This country is just pure evil.
Breaking news: Making the correctional system a business venture was a bad idea. More at 8.
What correctional system? What’s being corrected?
Indescribable pain to those responsible.
Gut them and hang them from a lamppost.
I read about this in Cory Doctorow’s The Bezzle. I’m surprised it didn’t get more traction in the press.
You are? Challenging the status quo isn’t really the press’ thing anymore—or, like, ever.
This came up in a John Oliver episode about prison labour, this episode I think: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AjqaNQ018zU
Jpay.com is what I used when I went to jail.
A literal captive consumer. Capitalists wet dream come true. Just think of the returns if this model could be expanded! Disrupting the economy by disrupting your freedom.
They’re not trying to build a prison for you and me, they already have.
Despite calls to the contrary, a for profit prison system is inherently unjust and can not help but abuse it’s prisoners
One word: corrupt.
For-profit prisons…
Evil
Doesn’t this violate the monopoly law? This would be maintaining a monopoly would it not?
Uhm.
Well, private, for-profit prisons are a thing. Which is uncanny, that apparently a private entity can do “prison” for the state for cheaper than the state it can could.
But once in it’s a captive audience. They aren’t gonna go to the commissary down the street. The whole thing is a monopoly.
The unsettling truth is that nobody cares about prisoners, or even ex-cons, in America. We ignore everything bad that happens to them, big or small, or toss it out as “well, they deserve it”. As if the sole purpose of prison is punishment.
And then they get out and in many places they are no longer full citizens with a right to vote. So, say, for example, you are arrested and imprisoned on possession of cannabis. Well, you can pay your “debt to society” by serving your time in prison, and then when you get out you can’t even vote for a decriminalization candidate.
another article on more broken campaign promises by Biden and prosecutor Harris
even though the Democrats and Republicans both are responsible for this mess the Democrats are likely to blame Republicans and try to raise funds off it
works every time
Looks to me like you’re a republican trying to blame democrats.
I’ m from a country with a 20+ party system, so I can imagine quite well. Also, US centrist is far right over here.
