Off the top of my head: 1. For whatever reason, a lot of Americans seem to have the mindset that once you've been convicted, you're basically less than human--

Off the top of my head: 1. For whatever reason, a lot of Americans seem to have the mindset that once you've been convicted, you're basically less than human--you don't have any rights. You deserve to suffer, because you committed a crime. (Yes, I understand that being convicted does not actually mean you committed a crime. This fact is lost on the people I'm talking about). See also: people joking about men getting raped in prison, and saying that they deserve it. 2. Low recidivism rates are bad for for-profit prisons because then they get less money. And remember that, in America, money is speech, companies are people, and people have the right to free speech! To quote an article[0] that I just found through a quick Google search: "The two largest for-profit prison companies in the United States – GEO and Corrections Corporation of America – and their associates have funneled more than $10 million to candidates since 1989 and have spent nearly $25 million on lobbying efforts. Meanwhile, these private companies have seen their revenue and market share soar. They now rake in a combined $3.3 billion in annual revenue" 0. https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/04/28/how-for-profit-prisons-have-become-the-biggest-lobby-no-one-is-talking-about/?utm_term=.ea87c63caa64 https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/04/28/...