Sure, but the crime and punishment attitude was around before private prisons. They are more like contributors to the problem than the original cause. It would

Sure, but the crime and punishment attitude was around before private prisons. They are more like contributors to the problem than the original cause. It would be great to shut down the private prison industry but let's be realistic about the extent to which lobbying dollars influence the maximum sentence in legislation nation-wide. I would attribute long sentences mainly to poor thinking.