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Always follow the money (for-profit prisons): https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/04/28/how-for-profit-prisons-have-become-the-biggest-lobby-n
by ivanca 11y ago
Always follow the money (for-profit prisons): https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/04/28/how-for-profit-prisons-have-become-the-biggest-lobby-no-one-is-talking-about/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/04/28/...
- DanBC 11y agoHow many prisons are for profit? How many prisoners are in for profit prisons?
- vonmoltke 11y agoAs of five years ago, less than 10%: http://www.propublica.org/article/by-the-numbers-the-u.s.s-growing-for-profit-detention-industry http://www.propublica.org/article/by-the-numbers-the-u.s.s-g...
- jegutman 11y agoThis is an important point that not that many prisoners are in for-profit prisons, but many of these groups are also lobbying to privatize existing public prisons so they're not an inconsequential influence. They also benefit at the margins a lot. (i.e. if one extra person is incarcerated they're likely to go to a private prisons since the construction of public prisons has slowed a lot).
- jkestner 11y agoIt's not so important how many prisons are for profit, but how much lobbying money is spent furthering their goals. https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/04/28/how-for-profit-prisons-have-become-the-biggest-lobby-no-one-is-talking-about/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/04/28/...
- CWuestefeld 11y agoWhile I agree with your implied conclusion, I don't think your questions completely get us to that answer. It's possible that despite private prisons being a small minority, with a small minority of the prisoners, they wield a disproportionate influence on the system. That is, in lobbying for whatever policies benefit them, they're willing to accept the result of grossly overburdening the entire system, taking that as collateral damage so that their little corner of it will always be full. Again, I don't think that's the case. But it could be.
- Lawtonfogle 11y agoHow many prisons, while not for profit, are largely staffed and have services met by for profit entities?
- DanBC 11y agoWhy would that distort the prisoner population in the US but not anywhere else that has private interest invesment in prisons?