> The government builds certain services with the intent that hopefully as few people need them as possible. Such as Prisons, Hospitals, etc. The government is

> The government builds certain services with the intent that hopefully as few people need them as possible. Such as Prisons, Hospitals, etc. The government is motivated to make an effort to ensure people don't end up there. In practice, that isn't what happens. "Government" is not some monolithic hive mind entity, it is a bureaucracy of competing interests (and often fiefdoms) that sometimes work against each other. The representative crafting the budget might want to spend less money on prisons so he can spend it on something else, but the DA and the prison warden don't want their budgets reduced. Plus, the DA wants to be able to point to all the "dangerous criminals" she took off the streets when it comes time for re-election.