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> Rehabilitation isn't transactional, and a debt to society isn't something that can be repaid with cash. well said. concise and correct, IMO.

• ada1981 8y ago
  This is true. However in this case, they aren’t cashing in dollars for time off. It’s not like a billionaire (quibble about billionaires being in jail) can load up a commissary card and buy time off. On the contrary, the billionaire would have to work the same hours as the guy who robbed the booze store and get 1 day off for every one worked. I’m much more troubled by having private companies buying cheap prison labor to make goods or do customer service. It’s interesting to note as well that I think I share the same underlying thesis that prisons are fucked, with terrible incentives and I am in favor of revamping the entire system — however this one program does not bother me the same way it does others. If I was to guess, I’d imagine I have much more progressive views about prison reform than most opposed to this program. This is fascinating to me. For example, I’ve been speaking with VCs about doing a “prison startup” with the right incentives - including things like cooperative ownership by the prisoners themselves. In my view crime is a context not a characterstic of an individual.