NEWS
Prisons for Profit
The first time I was appalled by corruption and
profiteering in USA was when Michael Moore exposed, in his latest movie Capitalism, the prison for juvenile youth
that was being run for pure profit by forcing teenagers into prison cells for
minor misdemeanors. This was sheer human exploitation for the greed of securing
easy tax payer dollars. I recommend very highly that you see this movie to get
an idea of what is happening in the world that will affect you sooner or later
if it goes unchecked and stopped.
Watch the video below and be aware of the world
of corruption we now live in. Don’t wait until you become a victim or statistic
of this crime.
PRESENTS
Corporations are running many Americans prisons, but will
they put profits before prisoners?
A grim new statistic: One in every hundred Americans is now locked behind bars.
As the prison population grows faster than the government can build prisons,
private companies see an opportunity for profit.
This week, NOW on PBS investigates the government's trend to outsource prisons
and prisoners to the private sector. Critics accuse private prisons of standing
in the way of sentencing reform and sacrificing public safety to maximize
profits.
"The
notion that a corporation making a profit off this practice is more important
to us than public safety or the human rights of prisoners is outrageous,"
Judy Greene, a criminal policy analyst, tells NOW on PBS.
Companies like Corrections Corporation of America say they're doing their part
to solve the problem of inmate overflow and a shortage of beds without
sacrificing safety.
"You don't cut corners to where it's going to be a safety, security or
health issue," Richard Smelser, warden of the Crowley Correctional
Facility in Colorado tells NOW. The prison is run by Corrections Corporation,
which had revenues of over $1.4 billion last year.
The Crowley prison made headlines back in 2004 after a major prison riot caused
overwhelmed staff to run away from the facility. Outside law enforcement had to
come in to put down the uprising.
"The problems that were identified in the wake of the riot are typical of
the private prison industry and happen over and over again," Green tells
NOW.
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