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It costs an average of about $106,000 per year to incarcerate an inmate in prison in California. Working prisoners almost certainly do not produce $106,000 wort

It costs an average of about $106,000 per year to incarcerate an inmate in prison in California. Working prisoners almost certainly do not produce $106,000 worth of value per year as they typically perform low-skill work. So the state certainly does not have a financial incentive to incarcerate more inmates.

kube-system 4y ago
It's the people and organizations receiving that $106,000/yr that have the incentive. They have no disincentive to reduce recidivism, and every incentive to lobby for laws that increase incarceration.
themitigating 4y ago
The incentive might to another group while the state doesn't have as much power to control prison populations
elil17 4y ago
The state as a whole doesn’t, but the private companies that “employ”/enslave these people in some states do.
jchw 4y ago
California is a massive outlier for sure. Just to be sure, I checked for some statistics, and sure enough: > Based on FY 2020 data, the average annual COIF for a Federal inmate in a Federal facility in FY 2020 was $39,158 ($120.59 per day). The average annual COIF for a Federal inmate in a Residential Reentry Center for FY 2020 was $35,663 ($97.44 per day). Apparently, private prisons are paid by the government based on how much it costs to incarcerate, so that would seem to imply that at least anyone who could benefit from the profit of a private prison would have incentives to try to get as many incarcerations as possible. That said, I only did a cursory search. It seems this gets pretty complex.
eli_gottlieb 4y ago
That would imply the state of California is being taken for a ride by private prison providers.
- dragonwriter 4y ago
  California has no private prisons. California has high labor costs, and incarceration is labor intensive.
stefan_ 4y ago
Yet the hallmark of government is that to most of its employees the cost to the state is an entirely immaterial concern. Even to the state it can often be a wash if part of it comes from say federal funding, or what you are doing can ensure you are reelected and still have a job next year. Not to mention the plain old corrupt people: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_for_cash_scandal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_for_cash_scandal
nickjj 4y ago
Does anyone happen to have a full break down of what goes into producing that number ($106,000 / year) per inmate? "Security" is too big and vague. I don't doubt the number but it's kind of mind boggling to me. I would have trouble spending 100k a year if living alone, even with a house that has a 2.5k mortgage plus property taxes, utilities, car, yada yada yada that leaves you with a lot of money to burn on pure entertainment. Long story short if you're single and spent an actual 100k / year you could live a life of luxury within reason. Is "security" really that much for 1 inmate who is in a facility where there's maybe a 10-20 ratio of inmates to guards?
Avshalom 4y ago
Golden Gulag by Ruth Wilson Gilmore in part makes the argument that the prisons basically form a jobs program, as small farms got kicked shitless in the 70-80s prisons offered jobs that you could justifiably put in the middle of nowhere and were paid for by the government (federal or state). She specifically downplays the economics of slave labor in favor of the rural jobs argument (for both analytic and moral reasons)

kube-system 4y ago

It's the people and organizations receiving that $106,000/yr that have the incentive. They have no disincentive to reduce recidivism, and every incentive to lobby for laws that increase incarceration.

themitigating 4y ago

The incentive might to another group while the state doesn't have as much power to control prison populations

elil17 4y ago

The state as a whole doesn’t, but the private companies that “employ”/enslave these people in some states do.

jchw 4y ago

California is a massive outlier for sure. Just to be sure, I checked for some statistics, and sure enough: > Based on FY 2020 data, the average annual COIF for a Federal inmate in a Federal facility in FY 2020 was $39,158 ($120.59 per day). The average annual COIF for a Federal inmate in a Residential Reentry Center for FY 2020 was $35,663 ($97.44 per day). Apparently, private prisons are paid by the government based on how much it costs to incarcerate, so that would seem to imply that at least anyone who could benefit from the profit of a private prison would have incentives to try to get as many incarcerations as possible. That said, I only did a cursory search. It seems this gets pretty complex.

eli_gottlieb 4y ago

That would imply the state of California is being taken for a ride by private prison providers.

dragonwriter 4y ago
California has no private prisons. California has high labor costs, and incarceration is labor intensive.

stefan_ 4y ago

Yet the hallmark of government is that to most of its employees the cost to the state is an entirely immaterial concern. Even to the state it can often be a wash if part of it comes from say federal funding, or what you are doing can ensure you are reelected and still have a job next year. Not to mention the plain old corrupt people: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_for_cash_scandal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_for_cash_scandal

nickjj 4y ago

Does anyone happen to have a full break down of what goes into producing that number ($106,000 / year) per inmate? "Security" is too big and vague. I don't doubt the number but it's kind of mind boggling to me. I would have trouble spending 100k a year if living alone, even with a house that has a 2.5k mortgage plus property taxes, utilities, car, yada yada yada that leaves you with a lot of money to burn on pure entertainment. Long story short if you're single and spent an actual 100k / year you could live a life of luxury within reason. Is "security" really that much for 1 inmate who is in a facility where there's maybe a 10-20 ratio of inmates to guards?

Avshalom 4y ago

Golden Gulag by Ruth Wilson Gilmore in part makes the argument that the prisons basically form a jobs program, as small farms got kicked shitless in the 70-80s prisons offered jobs that you could justifiably put in the middle of nowhere and were paid for by the government (federal or state). She specifically downplays the economics of slave labor in favor of the rural jobs argument (for both analytic and moral reasons)