Lets stick with the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) to make this a little easier to follow. As I mentioned earlier, the reason why the CCA is even a thing is because they can build prisons quicker and cheaper. The CCA is given anywhere from $35k-60k (varies per state) each year to house one inmate and this is paid for by Joe Taxpayer. Multiply that by the number of inmates under CCA control, which is 100k, and you get a yearly budget ranging from 3.5 to 6 billion dollars. Since the CCA is a private corporation they do not have government regulated standards such as a set guard to inmate ratio meaning they have just enough guards to make it so that prisoners can’t run out of the prison. Also, these guards are more powerful since they do not have to abide by government statutes about the treatment of inmates. This leads to brutality. Because, the CCA does not employ as many guards as it should they keep those profits. On top of all this they have inmates work for 17-25 cents an hour completing jobs, like manufacturing furniture or army apparel, that bring in revenue. The revenue is not distributed to the workers it actually goes to high-ranking executives and that is messed up (federal prisoners are paid minimum wage). To keep this steady cash flow going, the CCA lobbies for stricter laws, longer sentences on a wider range of crime regardless of circumstance, and a reduced reliance on parole or probation. Between 2002 and 2012, the CCA spent almost $20 million in lobbying expenditures and political campaign contributions. In each contract negotiated with the state the CCA institutes a minimum occupancy clause stating that the prison must be held at a certain capacity and even if they aren’t the company is still to be paid as if each bed is occupied. This number usually ranges from 80-90% and in some rare cases even 100%. So this leaves us with a never-ending cycle:
1. The prison population increases
2. The government hires the CCA to build more prisons
3. The CCA, who makes money off every prisoner, lobbies to encourage tougher legislation when it comes to crime
4. Legislators create laws that subject more people to incarceration for more crimes
5. Repeat Step 1.
I feel that it is widely accepted that our society should be focused on preventing crime, imprisoning only individuals who pose an immediate threat and rehabilitating/educating inmates so that they may avoid future imprisonment. Unfortunately when private corporations profit off people being in jail then those goals will never be reached.
1. The prison population increases
2. The government hires the CCA to build more prisons
3. The CCA, who makes money off every prisoner, lobbies to encourage tougher legislation when it comes to crime
4. Legislators create laws that subject more people to incarceration for more crimes
5. Repeat Step 1.
I feel that it is widely accepted that our society should be focused on preventing crime, imprisoning only individuals who pose an immediate threat and rehabilitating/educating inmates so that they may avoid future imprisonment. Unfortunately when private corporations profit off people being in jail then those goals will never be reached.