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The big business of witch hunts (2012)
- gumby 11y agoWell that was an interesting historical survey; what was missing was the entire discussion of how the same process operates today. In California when you are booked you need to pay for your own DNA test. What seemed to be largely ignored in the Ferguson reporting was the larger context: the town cut taxes and instead supported its budget by accusing people of crimes and having them pay for their own punishment: http://reason.com/blog/2015/12/16/ferguson-thinks-it-may-have-to-raise-tax http://reason.com/blog/2015/12/16/ferguson-thinks-it-may-hav... https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/09/03/how-st-louis-county-missouri-profits-from-poverty/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/09/03/... http://money.cnn.com/2015/10/21/news/aclu-biloxi-debtors-prison/ http://money.cnn.com/2015/10/21/news/aclu-biloxi-debtors-pri... http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/05/us/lawsuit-accuses-missouri-city-of-fining-homeowners-to-raise-revenue.html http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/05/us/lawsuit-accuses-missour... Not to mention the "civil forfeiture" scams.