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>designed to let the state rob a few more individuals of their freedom "The state" doesn't benefit in any way from locking people up. In fact, it costs them mo

>designed to let the state rob a few more individuals of their freedom "The state" doesn't benefit in any way from locking people up. In fact, it costs them money (both directly and in lost taxes from the lost salaries and wages of those incarcerated). An argument could be made that prosecutors benefit from higher incarceration rates through the incentives you described. And an argument could definitely be made that private corporations paying well-below-market rates for prison labour benefit.

tikhonj 3y ago
Politicians benefit from locking people up because it gives them an easily measurable way to look "tough on crime".
- akoboldfrying 3y ago
  Good point.
NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
I hate to break it to you, but the prison system has been the premiere, essential job-creation program for these United States ever since Appomattox 1865. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Amendment_to_the_Un... https://www.aclu.org/news/human-rights/captive-labor-exploitation-of-incarcerated-workers https://www.aclu.org/news/human-rights/captive-labor-exploit... We got 800,000 or so right now. Fight unemployment? Lock more people up.
- JTbane 3y ago
  Yep and there are some specific product that rely heavily on prison labor- license plates come to mind.
Clubber 3y ago
Also, keep in mind, it costs the taxpayers money, not the people running the criminal justice system. They're motivated by climbing the ladder and scorekeeping.
SamPatt 3y ago
You think states don't benefit from spending more money? They're just like other organizations who try to expand their budgets year over year. Except they can force people to pay them more, all they need is plausible justification (like combating crime, or terrorists, or drugs, or viruses, or whatever the current societal scare happens to be about).

tikhonj 3y ago

Politicians benefit from locking people up because it gives them an easily measurable way to look "tough on crime".

akoboldfrying 3y ago
Good point.

NoZebra120vClip 3y ago

I hate to break it to you, but the prison system has been the premiere, essential job-creation program for these United States ever since Appomattox 1865. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Amendment_to_the_Un... https://www.aclu.org/news/human-rights/captive-labor-exploitation-of-incarcerated-workers https://www.aclu.org/news/human-rights/captive-labor-exploit... We got 800,000 or so right now. Fight unemployment? Lock more people up.

JTbane 3y ago
Yep and there are some specific product that rely heavily on prison labor- license plates come to mind.

Clubber 3y ago

Also, keep in mind, it costs the taxpayers money, not the people running the criminal justice system. They're motivated by climbing the ladder and scorekeeping.

SamPatt 3y ago

You think states don't benefit from spending more money? They're just like other organizations who try to expand their budgets year over year. Except they can force people to pay them more, all they need is plausible justification (like combating crime, or terrorists, or drugs, or viruses, or whatever the current societal scare happens to be about).