The Scourge of Private Prisons

The story about the Pennsylvania judges who took kickbacks to send kids to prison continues to make the news and continues to horrify me.

Take the story of Jamie Quinn. When she was 14 years old, she was imprisoned for almost a year. Jamie, now 18, described the incident that led to her incarceration:

"I got into an argument with one of my friends. And all that happened was just a basic fight. She slapped me in the face, and I did the same thing back."

Jamie was placed in one of the two controversial facilities, PA Child Care, then bounced around to several other locations. The 11-month imprisonment had a devastating impact on her. She told me: "People looked at me different when I came out, thought I was a bad person, because I was gone for so long. My family started splitting up ... because I was away and got locked up. I'm still struggling in school, because the schooling system in facilities like these places [is] just horrible."

Wrongly jailed kids case is just tip of iceberg -- chicagotribune.com

The obvious reaction is to become infuriated with these judges. Which I am. But it just doesn't seem to register with anyone, the problems posed by privatizing correctional facilities. I mean, we've got Dick Cheney being indicted in Texas for prison abuses in private prisons in which he invested. We've got private prison corporations getting rich off the incarceration of immigrants. We've got riots going down in Texas due to:

“One thing that’s different with private prisons is that they have more difficult time creating a sense of legitimacy among the inmates,” he said. “Inmates believe prison is fair and just, even if they might not think they are guilty of a crime. When that feeling is lost, there can be problems.”

Useem also said prisoners held in private facilities may also become upset if they feel they are being used as a way for a business to make money.

West Texas Riot debate over private prisons

It just keeps adding up an no one seems to see the detriment caused by private prisons to offenders and law-abiding citizens alike. Just the fact that people are profiting off of the caging of human beings is so totally wrong. When people make more money if there are more people incarcerated, you don't think one or two people involved might cross that line into the realm of corruption? We are just trusting these every day, normal people to imprison human beings and make a profit off of it and not give in to their own greed? Come on, people. Think. The whole idea of private prisons is ludicrous. Of course there are going to be people with loose morals involved, as there are in all walks of life. Of course there are people who are going to see opportunity in the incarceration of people who don't really need to be incarcerated. And it doesn't stop with these two judges in Pennsylvania. I guarantee you there are more assholes out there who are earning good money for sending people away who would otherwise walk free.

Private prisons need to be eliminated. States need to take responsibility for the number of people they incarcerate.

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