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Indeed stupid. But in the US, parole officers see their role to add additional punishment through threats and inserting petty and vindictive 'rules' into the l

Indeed stupid. But in the US, parole officers see their role to add additional punishment through threats and inserting petty and vindictive 'rules' into the lives of released prisoners in order to reinforce their authority and express the displeasure of the authorities. There are countless examples of people being returned to prison for trivial and even made up violations of parole - remember private prison is big business in America with lots of money to be made from returning people to prison (and sending them there in the first place). Other countries see parole officers tasked with helping ex-prisoners return to society and keeping them out of trouble through support and assistance. Often parole officers are social workers or psychologists specializing in dealing with ex-offenders. A return to prison is seen as a failure of the parole officer rather than of the prisoner.

rayiner 11y ago
> remember private prison is big business in America with lots of money to be made from returning people to prison (and sending them there in the first place). Less than 10% of U.S. prisoners are in privately-managed prisons, and it's a very recent phenomenon (the number was negligible in the 1990's). For profit-prisons are an opportunistic reaction to the pettiness and vindictiveness of the prison culture that grew out of the "tough on crime" movements of the 1980's and 1990's. They aren't responsible for the culture.
- pyre 11y ago
  > They aren't responsible for the culture. While this is true, they have a profit-motive to support it, which means that there is now a contingent of lobbyists throwing money around to keep things the way that they are (or even worse, force them in an even more extreme direction).
- pascalmemories 11y ago
  > For profit-prisons are an opportunistic reaction Are you sure about that ? 2,000 incarcerated children would disagree. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/07/juvenille-judges-cash-detention-centre http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/07/juvenille-judge...
vorg 11y ago
Not just private prisons but all prisons in the US. There's lots of jobs to be created from sending people to prison. When over 1% of the US adult population is in prison or lockup, this entrenches itself into American society as a "prison-industrial complex".

rayiner 11y ago

> remember private prison is big business in America with lots of money to be made from returning people to prison (and sending them there in the first place). Less than 10% of U.S. prisoners are in privately-managed prisons, and it's a very recent phenomenon (the number was negligible in the 1990's). For profit-prisons are an opportunistic reaction to the pettiness and vindictiveness of the prison culture that grew out of the "tough on crime" movements of the 1980's and 1990's. They aren't responsible for the culture.

pyre 11y ago
> They aren't responsible for the culture. While this is true, they have a profit-motive to support it, which means that there is now a contingent of lobbyists throwing money around to keep things the way that they are (or even worse, force them in an even more extreme direction).
pascalmemories 11y ago
> For profit-prisons are an opportunistic reaction Are you sure about that ? 2,000 incarcerated children would disagree. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/07/juvenille-judges-cash-detention-centre http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/07/juvenille-judge...

vorg 11y ago

Not just private prisons but all prisons in the US. There's lots of jobs to be created from sending people to prison. When over 1% of the US adult population is in prison or lockup, this entrenches itself into American society as a "prison-industrial complex".