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I remain convinced that this should be dealt with in the prison's contract with the government, as other issues such as sanitation, clothing, etc. are dealt wit

by nickff 11y ago

I remain convinced that this should be dealt with in the prison's contract with the government, as other issues such as sanitation, clothing, etc. are dealt with, as it would allow for clear and detailed standards (as well as accountability and continuous monitoring) and not just price setting; however, if the problem here is one of monopoly, the regulator with the clearest authority is the FTC.[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Trade_Commission https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Trade_Commission

taurath 11y ago
The idea of prisons being governed by a trade commission would be almost comically ironic if it weren't so serious - we seem to be taking it literally the idea of prisoners being modern slaves. Contracts are always written to favor the one with more power. Edit: In this case even there WAS a contract - the prisons signed an exclusive contract with Global Tel-Link, which would provide a percentage of the proceeds back to the prison. The deal incentivized both parties to raise prices as much as possible while the zero rights inmates had no recourse. Those are the sorts of contracts that happen all the time when there are no regulations. What would a trade commission do in this situation?