Never! No more!

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

Private prisons are an abomination unto the law.

Everyone should read this incredible piece of real journalism.

It's long, but so worth it. Now some cartoons (and a graph or 2):



Thank Goodness they are not everywhere! But they are being pushed, by rich interests who believe they can capitalize on incarceration.



How does the privatization of our prisons benefit these rich interests who bid to perform a needed public service (running of prisons) at a lower cost? They exploit labor.



[not pictured--non-incarcerated laborers at the for-profit prisons who are also exploited]

Now, you might argue that The State does this too. And I'm not sure I would argue. But let's set that aside for now. More on point, The State is complicit in another way:



This is something of a recent development. Within my lifetime. Maybe yours too.



This is a very bad thing, and it very much must be stopped dead in it's tracks.

Never! No more!

Public laws enacted by public servants enforced by public police should be carried out by the public--not for a profit of shareholders, but for the profit of society. We want rehabilitation--not record profits. Rehabilitation isn't always possible, but it is always impossible when the goal is private money, not social well being.

This series of cartoons has been a justification to share this piece of writing.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/06/cca-private-prisons-corrections-corporation-inmates-investigation-bauer

It's long, and it's powerful, and if I was a slightly richer man I would have donated $27 to them to support such fine writing--and frankly, dangerous work. $9/hour is an insult when you're working in a place where stabbings occur regularly.

Bravo to Shane Bauer. And shame on any politician who believes the profit-motive comes before the public-motive.

Comments

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

I can't wait for private police forces. Smell the libertarianism!

[pigshitpoet.livejournal.com]

it would be interesting to see the demographics of those incarceration numbers. i understand there are over 2 million black americans in prisons. in 2013, the reported incarceration rate of america was the highest in the world, at 716 per 100,000 of the national population. we're talking about incarcerating people for abject poverty. good for republicans who own property and businesses. bad for the average working american, without a job.

question to the park warden tommy lee: what exactly do they think they are correcting? more like co-opting and corrupting.. for fun and profit

how do we now go about putting these prison systems to proper use and incarcerating the sinister petty tyrants complicit in propagating this exercise in elite rob control of our collective consciousness. sinister is an understatement. gangsters robbing gangstas... why isn't gw bush in prison for war crimes against humanity, and rumsfeld and cheney? and obama? how quickly we forget...

in other words, i'm with you, not on my watch.. now what in hell can i do about any of it? take back the streets..
; '

or what?