Making Profit From Prisons

The Problem with Making Profit from Prisons Throughout time, society has feared the prison system. Whether it’s the inmates, the lifestyle, or just the thought of incarceration, people tend to take necessary steps to avoid it. Certain laws are put in place to maintain an orderly, civilized society, and citizens abide by these laws in order to avoid swift punishment. Although prisons have a massive deterrent effect on the general population, people do not recognize the trickery involved in the prison system. Strategies to generate profit not only come as a disadvantage for the inmates but also for the population. Governmental corruption has taken a deep hold on the nation’s correctional institutions through donations from lobby groups as incentive

The purpose of prison should be to punish those who have done wrong and have the potential of further harming and threatening the safety of fellow citizens. Also, although some prisoners have committed heinous crimes and surely do not deserve much, they still deserve to be treated as humans rather than animals locked in a cage for the profit of their overseers. When taking all of this into consideration, the will to make more profit does the exact opposite of fulfilling the true purpose of imprisonment. Poor correctional officer training is one result of money being a distraction from what is necessary. It becomes a threat to both inmates and the population. According to Killingbeck, “In a three-year time period 21 violent prisoners escaped during transport by private companies. Training for corrections officers in state-operated facilities averages 12-16 weeks, while private companies offer an average of 3 weeks training.” The prison system is so distracted by making more money that it cuts officer training time by up to 81% in order to decrease spending. The results are poorly trained officers. Because of that, prisoners are poorly disciplined, become a threat to the public after escaping, and become threats to each other and themselves. Also, the will to make

There have been many instances of politicians voting a certain way for bills then later receiving campaign donations from lobby groups. An example of this is provided Herivel and Wright who explain that,

During the 1998 legislative session Governor Keating and the state’s District Attorneys lobbied for revision or repeal of the sentencing reform law... When Keating took office the state had no private prison contracts, but by the end of his first term the state had contracted private beds costing more than $66 million a year. Governor Keating campaigned for a second term in 1998. He received $12,500 from the private prison industry for his campaign, $10,000 of which came from the CCA executives. (16)

This proves governmental corruption and the existence of a monetary incentive for politicians to vote in certain ways. The motive comes from bribery rather than true opinion and political platforms that are meant to increase quality of