Whoever coined the phrase “crime doesn’t pay” clearly never operated a private prison. A recent online video exposes the greed and corruption these companies thrive on and proves that, to remain profitable, they must sink so low as to bribe judges and detain children as young as 10 years old.
Among the shocking facts revealed in the video:
- The U.S. is home to 25 percent of the world’s inmates, meaning we incarcerate more people per capita than any other nation. Land of the free indeed.
- In 2010 alone, two of the top private prison companies, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and The GEO Group, made approximately $3 billion. For their success, top executives were awarded a cool $3 million each.
- Between 1990 and 2009, the number of inmates in private prisons increased by a staggering 1,600 percent.
- Between 2002 and 2012, the three largest private prison companies — the CCA, GEO, and Management & Training Corporation (MTC) — spent approximately $45 million lobbying both state and federal lawmakers to maintain the criminalization of nonviolent crimes such as drug possession. Imagine the financial blow to these companies’ bottom line if the U.S. followed Uruguay’s lead and decriminalized marijuana.
- The U.S. detains more youth per capital than any other nation. Since 2007, 200 reports of sexual abuse on detainees have been documented, though the American Civil Liberties Union believes the number to be much higher.
- Because crime rates have been dropping steadily for the past decade, some private prisons, looking out for their bottom line, have resorted to making contractual agreements with judges to keep their facilities filled to between 90 and 100 percent capacity.
Some things should not be privatized, and the criminal justice system is one of them. It’s time we bring an end to the abhorrent practice of profiting off the misfortune of others.
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Edited by DH
