Private prisons present a plethora of problems here in America. Not only are corporations like the CCA blatantly unethical, but they are money hungry economic machines.Because private prisons are run independently from those such as federal, state, or local institutions, they are not lawfully required to document or show what all goes on within their concrete walls. Because the lack of regulation in these kind of prisons we end up having cases like that of Estelle Richardson. Estelle was an inmate at a CCA run prison in Nashville, Tennessee that was brutally murdered while in solitary confinement. There were only four prison guards that had the access to her, one of which was especially suspicious. Estelle was found with her skull smashed in, broken ribs and more. One of the four guards, Josh Shockman, was and still is an MMA fighter. From my point of view it is pretty cut and dry, you punish the four men that were responsible for an inmate when she was brutally murdered in her cell. But, because private prisons like that one make their own money, they never ended up prosecuting anyone for the murder, dropped the chargers against all four officers, and swept it under the rug like Estelle's life meant nothing. American prisons in general were named, by the UN, the most dysfunctional, abusive and torturous places known to men. Why would anyone in the industry care about the prisoners though? Everyone involved is making a profit, the prison, the transportation services, the food companies, the phone companies, they are all making money on every single prisoner that walks through their doors. Why help people get better when you can benefit from their misery and continued failure, right? psych001
I want to start by saying I have no problem with private prisons. I have no problem with the government contracting out prisons. If a person thinks they have a product that can be for sale, they can do. Now that I have gotten that out of the way I would agree though that maybe they need to be more transparent and open to the public. They are a private company, but since the government is contracting them, they should be held to a high standard and inspected, so they are assuring that the inmates are given the best care. It is devastating that Estelle died while she was in prison and they do not have anyone arrested, but this happens in public prisons also. They take one example of an inmate being killed and very suspicious evidence of who did it, and what seems like a cover-up. The private prison industry needs more limitations on what they can do and how they treat prisoners I agree with, but you cannot give an example of things such as prisoners not being able to find work or getting back into jail as a reason to bash them when the same thing is happening in public prisons. The private prison industry needs more oversight and regulations, but they are a private company and can make their own rules. -Legion001
To be honest, I do not hate private prisons, but then again I believe some private prison accustoms are not right. Privately owned prisons got to do what they got to do to make money. It is human nature for people to make money and make a living to bring food to the table. I will say they do not need to have as many expenses to the prisoners as they do. There expenses need to be to a certain extent, and not to what they have it at now. It is excessive on how much different companies make money off of the prisoners such as phone expenses, commute expenses, and food and drink expenses. With the Estelle situation, it makes me even more skeptical about private prisons. For no one to be charged after Estelle‘s death is unacceptable. I couldn’t imagine if I was one of her family members, because I bet they are not happy about it. With that being said, it is a private prison and they don’t have to release that type of information. I think that these private prisons need more regulations and rules for the sole sake of the prisoners. Yes, they may deserve to be there, but they also should have rights. -lilbaby001
I can understand the need for private prisons to relieve the overpopulation of other prisons. Sometimes the crime rates in a certain state are high and thus there are more people in those states to be imprisoned. The thing that bothers me about private prisons is their willingness to accept any amount of prisoners only because they can make a profit out of it. The more prisoners they have, the more money they will earn. The question is whether they are doing this to earn money towards paying their bills every month, or out of greed. When CCTV tried to talk to Jonathan Burns from CCA about getting a tour of their facility and an interview, they ultimately denied their request despite informing them ahead of time. They might have denied this request because they did not want to speak about how the private prisons earn the money they do or the conditions that their prisoners live under. What I found appalling is that a private prison in Pennsylvania housed 2000 school-age children for only minor offenses. On top of that two local judges being given each a million dollars in bribes to house them. The conditions in private prisons are not well despite being paid a lot of money. First the underpaid and under qualified prison guards make it a dangerous atmosphere inside the prison. If the guards aren't qualified to do the job, the prisoners can just do as they see fit. Second, because it is a private company they are not obligated to report anything to the authorities about what happens in their facilities. Though there are prisoners that deserve to be in prison, they need to have good living conditions and the prison itself needs better regulations. -Ram001
I personally do not think there should be private prisons. It all comes down to the money and how many people can we go and arrest and send them to a private prison for more money. Of course the more people you have in the prison the more you get however, the workers are underpaid and receive less benefits. Instead you see the people who run the prison living very exclusively and nice on golf courses and on country club land. Another reason is inmates are just looked at as money and are not being taken care of properly. Of course this is mistreatment in a public prison however, it's more prevalent and noticeable in a private prision. Private prison do not have to follow guidelines and do reports like a non private prison. I think it is extremely sad and horrible that the lady who got killed in the prison by the four guards got away with murder. Strange how the day of her murder the camera over her cell was turned off, and the guards would be the only ones with access to her cell. Money talks so it's no surprise that they got away with murder. I also believe that private prisons are setting up future inmates for failure when it comes time to being released. I know in non private prisons they at least try to give the inmates different job ready programs, social skills, and next steps when your released. Its sad how the man who just got out the private prison is homeless living in the woods with no help. -21Aries001
Private prisons hold a certain degree of necessity, but they still require a great amount of reform. On one hand, private prisons are needed to balance out the amount of prisoners in government run prisons, but on the other hand, these facilities are taking advantage of their privacy and treating the prisoners as less than human, which needs to be stopped. I feel as though there was more that could have been done in regards to Estelle Richardson's murder and I hope the family gets some answers so as to finally getting the closure they have been waiting for and so readily deserve. Richardson is undoubtedly just one of many examples of the brutality and unfair treatment the prisoners receive in privatized prisons and it seems like few people care since these people are prisoners, but they are humans, which is the only requirement to be treated better than they have been. It is so sad that nowadays so many people are more concerned about a paycheck than the well-being of these prisoners who may only be in the prisons in the first place for minor offenses, like Richardson's. I truly believe more people are being arrested in these areas just so the private prisons can make more money and it is sickening and completely unethical. -Reid001
I feel that private prisons, while started with good intent, should be phased out. The way that they make their money, based off of an inmate count, leads to lobbying for harsher sentences and overall more people in prison. I don't think that we can begin to lower incarceration levels in the US until we stop supporting these businesses that are making their money off of taking away people's freedom. Between heavy cost cutting which leads to staff that is less trained, to the lower level of regulation and required reporting that state ran prisons face, private prisons are going to be less safe both for employees as well as inmates. State run facilities also usually offer reform programs such as classes that private prisons don't have to offer, this leads to inmates simply returning to crime after they are released instead of becoming normal members of society. Of course, this fits with the business models of these prisons perfectly, repeat offenders will be locked up again for longer leading to more of an increase in prison population and more money for these prisons. Overall, it is an immoral and unethical business perpetuating the cycle of crime and profiting off of taking people's freedom. -Stark001
After watching this video, I can clearly see that Private Prisons, as terrible as they seem, may not be going away. Like as mentioned, America was built off of Capitalism from the start. Private business and shareholders run the economy not the government. But while this may work for companies that make phones and cars, it does not work in prisons. It is one thing for a free American to buy whatever they want against the competeing market, it is another for these companies to decided how the rest of your life will be lived out based on one of your criminal actions. I can only imagine how frustrating it is for some prisoners to feel like they have been cheated because they were thrown into a prison that inherently cares less about them due to being a private organization. While making big money is one thing, making that money while ruining people's lives is a whole other. I really do hope that in the future that our democratic government can put the hammer down on this idea for the betterment of all behind bars, not as a question of money, but of morality. Rock001
This video explains the problems with CCA and the private prison industry as a whole. I do not believe the private prisons are inherently bad but I do believe that have been operated incorrectly. If the government chooses to cut costs and house prisoners in a private prison that is their choice. However, these private prisons must be help accountable and to a standard that is equal to publicly run prisons. I do believe there is a lot of politics behind private prisons. I can see there being many payoffs for judges and/or congressmen. This is a huge problem for everyone. Private prisons are shown to be such a bad idea which is understandable but I really believe that if they were run differently with perhaps partially publically funded with rules and regulations that they could work. There is a slow downward trend in privatized prisons which is expected to continue. I feel badly for anyone who is sentenced to these prisons at this time. I believe that management of these corporations are taking advantage of our problems in the correctional system. Jackrabbit001
i always thought that private prisons sounded a bit sketchy but i never really understood how bad they are until i watched this video. essentially these private prisons are putting price tags on human beings. they need more people to get arrested so that they get more money. they don't care about people at all and see them almost like property. they get so greedy in fact that they are willing to have children locked up just for some more money. in return, these children's lives are now ruined. prison causes many psychological disorders for grown men, what do you think that kind of environment would do to a kid. its bad enough that they are getting money from locking people up, but the guards and staff are under qualified and have too much power. prisons require highly trained personnel to handle inmates. one mistake and there could be a prison riot. sexy_in_bikini 001
When it comes to private prisons, I am completely against them. I can completely understand why someone would want to run a private prison. The only way that I would feel that I would not be against private prisons is if they paid their staff the same as a government facility would pay them, if they would make sure that their officers had the proper training, and if they were more open to the public. Since they are not any of those things, I am against them completely. Throughout the video, there were many things that I found interesting. One thing that I thought was interesting was how the officers in private prisons do not have the proper training and oftentimes harm the prisoners more than necessary. Another thing that caught my eye during the video was the fact that private prisons truly keep as many things private and away from the government as they can. One of the last things that I thought was interesting was that other countries were calling the United States out about our prison systems and how they find our prison systems as a form of torture and extremely dysfunctional. Overall, I can still understand why one would want to own a private prison because of the money that goes through it, but in the broad scheme of things, I am completely against what they stand for and think that the United States should get rid of the private prison systems for good. -Anchorman001
The prison system in America is a very touchy subject for most people, as it holds more inmates than any other country, nearly two and a half million. Due to this overcrowding problem in America, it has led to the Federal government to fund private prisons to house inmates. These types of prisons receive money for each inmate they home. I find this interesting. Considering that much of the prison population consists of drug offenders, they are locked up rather than sent to rehabilitation centers and receiving the proper care they need. This could help to avoid private prisons in general and save taxpayers money. Private prisons, ultimately driven by money and greed, are somewhat corrupt and are not held entirely accountable for wrongful actions. These prisons are for profit, as they receive more money the more people they incarcerate. What intrigues me is how transparent this is, yet it is still a clearly seen problem. Josh Friedman states that private prison, or “for profit prisons”, have no place in a democratic society. Can it be any more clear that there is a slight issue when CCA declines to comment or fully answer questions asked about specifics? The private prison concept receives support from a non profit organization called the Reason Foundation which believes in less government and more privatization. Based on money, these prison systems are concerned with only money and not at all with rehabilitation. It truly is sad. It is obvious that this is a corrupt and money driven industry. Overall, the entire prison industry needs a reform, and this has been known about America’s brutal prisons for quite some time. Lastly, how does a murder case in a prison cell go unsolved, with skull fractures, and all officers walk free after the cameras were shut off on that one day? It truly blows my mind that these problems are not transparent to more people. -freckles001
After watching this video I have a much clearer perspective on these private prisons and now have a harder time appreciating them for what they are. Originally I never saw an issue with them and thought because they offered relief to the state and federal institutions that they were doing good by helping lower the over populated prisons but there are more negatives now after watching this. Seeing that CCA is making 2 billion dollars off of under paying staff and housing inmates just does not seem right, even if they are lowering the populations in the state and federal prisons. Since these prisons are "private" they do not have to disclose certain information which if they are doing a public service then that leads me to believe that certain information should be public domain. Hearing about the scandal between the two judges and private prisons infuriated me because the judges were getting bribed to sentence teens of minor infractions to a private institution in order for that private prison to receive more government money is just outright wrong. I understand America has our sense of making anything a business and turning it profitable but, just because it is private does not mean they should be exempt from disclosing valuable information in prison murders and other incidents. -Blues001
This video talks a lot about private prisons in the United States and how they make their money. One of the parts I liked was the guy they interviewed who had committed crimes in the past. He committed armed robbery, and actually got in a gun battle with the store clerk who in the man’s words, “didn’t want to be robbed”. He works for the private corrections institute now. I think it’s really cool that he turned his life around from being a felon in the early 1990’s and 1980’s and turned into a productive member of society. I think that the public should be shown more of these stories so they can see real change. Just because you do some stupid things in the past doesn’t mean that you can’t change the way you live and make something out of your life. My birth father committed armed robbery and got a sentence of 6 years. This video gave me hope that he can turn his life around and become something more than a felon. Even though I don’t know if he has or not, and may never will, I like to see these stories so that I can have hope for him and justify my reasoning at the same time. -Celtics001
The history of private prisons started in the 1980’s because of the War on Drugs. That seems to be the start of a lot of problems in the US, which is the nation that incarcerates the most in the world. It is incredible to even think about 2 million people which is close enough to chicago's population is the amount of inmates in prison. Unfortunately , a lot of them that are in prisons are low income, minorities, or nonviolent crimes offenders. Which leads to overcrowded public prisons that pay private prison to house some of the inmates. since , they pay for them to be housed there, private prison profits for each cell that is taken. So, the more inmates have the more they are getting payed and pocketting because they don't pay their employing enough either. The worst part is the unethical way of treating inmates. Yes, maybe people think that “Why treat inmates correctly if they are in jail for a reason?”, but I think that they are still human and have dignity. It's very upsetting because the government uses the excuse of the American way for business being made, which all seems corrupt. The are incarcerating children for petty crimes and profiting from them instead of rehabilitating them into society again. taco001
I always found Prison's interesting. In the movies you see racist, tough, brute guards and a strict warden. We grow up hearing how Prison is the place for bad people and when released they become good. We never hear about the private prisons however. I guess this is because since the word private is in their name, they don't allow much press and prefer their corporate secrecy. Privately Run Prisons are, in my mind, a last resort move in our corrections problem today. We should only be using private prisons for high risk, high profile inmates, when now we have started using the private prisons for the low class, low profile, low offence criminals because it puts a dollar sign on them. For instance, the article mentions the judges who were payed to send the kids to jail, so they would be sent to those private prisons. They aren't there to help them, they are not trying to see the kids get better, they see a bigger profit margin then ever before. I think private prisons should be meant for the people we don't ever want to see released, terrorists, serial killers, serial rapists, child predators. Why should people like Estelle, an almost innocent women, face the brute actions of private prisons when they didn't even do crimes bad enough you read about in the local paper. Private Prisons only see one reason to be what they are, a dollar sign with a number behind it, the more prisoners we give them, the more 0's they see behind that number. - Lobster001
Private prisons present a plethora of problems here in America. Not only are corporations like the CCA blatantly unethical, but they are money hungry economic machines.Because private prisons are run independently from those such as federal, state, or local institutions, they are not lawfully required to document or show what all goes on within their concrete walls. Because the lack of regulation in these kind of prisons we end up having cases like that of Estelle Richardson. Estelle was an inmate at a CCA run prison in Nashville, Tennessee that was brutally murdered while in solitary confinement. There were only four prison guards that had the access to her, one of which was especially suspicious. Estelle was found with her skull smashed in, broken ribs and more. One of the four guards, Josh Shockman, was and still is an MMA fighter. From my point of view it is pretty cut and dry, you punish the four men that were responsible for an inmate when she was brutally murdered in her cell. But, because private prisons like that one make their own money, they never ended up prosecuting anyone for the murder, dropped the chargers against all four officers, and swept it under the rug like Estelle's life meant nothing. American prisons in general were named, by the UN, the most dysfunctional, abusive and torturous places known to men. Why would anyone in the industry care about the prisoners though? Everyone involved is making a profit, the prison, the transportation services, the food companies, the phone companies, they are all making money on every single prisoner that walks through their doors. Why help people get better when you can benefit from their misery and continued failure, right?
ReplyDeletepsych001
I want to start by saying I have no problem with private prisons. I have no problem with the government contracting out prisons. If a person thinks they have a product that can be for sale, they can do. Now that I have gotten that out of the way I would agree though that maybe they need to be more transparent and open to the public. They are a private company, but since the government is contracting them, they should be held to a high standard and inspected, so they are assuring that the inmates are given the best care. It is devastating that Estelle died while she was in prison and they do not have anyone arrested, but this happens in public prisons also. They take one example of an inmate being killed and very suspicious evidence of who did it, and what seems like a cover-up. The private prison industry needs more limitations on what they can do and how they treat prisoners I agree with, but you cannot give an example of things such as prisoners not being able to find work or getting back into jail as a reason to bash them when the same thing is happening in public prisons. The private prison industry needs more oversight and regulations, but they are a private company and can make their own rules. -Legion001
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I do not hate private prisons, but then again I believe some private prison accustoms are not right. Privately owned prisons got to do what they got to do to make money. It is human nature for people to make money and make a living to bring food to the table. I will say they do not need to have as many expenses to the prisoners as they do. There expenses need to be to a certain extent, and not to what they have it at now. It is excessive on how much different companies make money off of the prisoners such as phone expenses, commute expenses, and food and drink expenses. With the Estelle situation, it makes me even more skeptical about private prisons. For no one to be charged after Estelle‘s death is unacceptable. I couldn’t imagine if I was one of her family members, because I bet they are not happy about it. With that being said, it is a private prison and they don’t have to release that type of information. I think that these private prisons need more regulations and rules for the sole sake of the prisoners. Yes, they may deserve to be there, but they also should have rights. -lilbaby001
ReplyDeleteI can understand the need for private prisons to relieve the overpopulation of other prisons. Sometimes the crime rates in a certain state are high and thus there are more people in those states to be imprisoned. The thing that bothers me about private prisons is their willingness to accept any amount of prisoners only because they can make a profit out of it. The more prisoners they have, the more money they will earn. The question is whether they are doing this to earn money towards paying their bills every month, or out of greed. When CCTV tried to talk to Jonathan Burns from CCA about getting a tour of their facility and an interview, they ultimately denied their request despite informing them ahead of time. They might have denied this request because they did not want to speak about how the private prisons earn the money they do or the conditions that their prisoners live under. What I found appalling is that a private prison in Pennsylvania housed 2000 school-age children for only minor offenses. On top of that two local judges being given each a million dollars in bribes to house them. The conditions in private prisons are not well despite being paid a lot of money. First the underpaid and under qualified prison guards make it a dangerous atmosphere inside the prison. If the guards aren't qualified to do the job, the prisoners can just do as they see fit. Second, because it is a private company they are not obligated to report anything to the authorities about what happens in their facilities. Though there are prisoners that deserve to be in prison, they need to have good living conditions and the prison itself needs better regulations.
ReplyDelete-Ram001
I personally do not think there should be private prisons. It all comes down to the money and how many people can we go and arrest and send them to a private prison for more money. Of course the more people you have in the prison the more you get however, the workers are underpaid and receive less benefits. Instead you see the people who run the prison living very exclusively and nice on golf courses and on country club land. Another reason is inmates are just looked at as money and are not being taken care of properly. Of course this is mistreatment in a public prison however, it's more prevalent and noticeable in a private prision. Private prison do not have to follow guidelines and do reports like a non private prison. I think it is extremely sad and horrible that the lady who got killed in the prison by the four guards got away with murder. Strange how the day of her murder the camera over her cell was turned off, and the guards would be the only ones with access to her cell. Money talks so it's no surprise that they got away with murder. I also believe that private prisons are setting up future inmates for failure when it comes time to being released. I know in non private prisons they at least try to give the inmates different job ready programs, social skills, and next steps when your released. Its sad how the man who just got out the private prison is homeless living in the woods with no help.
ReplyDelete-21Aries001
Private prisons hold a certain degree of necessity, but they still require a great amount of reform. On one hand, private prisons are needed to balance out the amount of prisoners in government run prisons, but on the other hand, these facilities are taking advantage of their privacy and treating the prisoners as less than human, which needs to be stopped. I feel as though there was more that could have been done in regards to Estelle Richardson's murder and I hope the family gets some answers so as to finally getting the closure they have been waiting for and so readily deserve. Richardson is undoubtedly just one of many examples of the brutality and unfair treatment the prisoners receive in privatized prisons and it seems like few people care since these people are prisoners, but they are humans, which is the only requirement to be treated better than they have been. It is so sad that nowadays so many people are more concerned about a paycheck than the well-being of these prisoners who may only be in the prisons in the first place for minor offenses, like Richardson's. I truly believe more people are being arrested in these areas just so the private prisons can make more money and it is sickening and completely unethical.
ReplyDelete-Reid001
I feel that private prisons, while started with good intent, should be phased out. The way that they make their money, based off of an inmate count, leads to lobbying for harsher sentences and overall more people in prison. I don't think that we can begin to lower incarceration levels in the US until we stop supporting these businesses that are making their money off of taking away people's freedom. Between heavy cost cutting which leads to staff that is less trained, to the lower level of regulation and required reporting that state ran prisons face, private prisons are going to be less safe both for employees as well as inmates. State run facilities also usually offer reform programs such as classes that private prisons don't have to offer, this leads to inmates simply returning to crime after they are released instead of becoming normal members of society. Of course, this fits with the business models of these prisons perfectly, repeat offenders will be locked up again for longer leading to more of an increase in prison population and more money for these prisons. Overall, it is an immoral and unethical business perpetuating the cycle of crime and profiting off of taking people's freedom. -Stark001
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this video, I can clearly see that Private Prisons, as terrible as they seem, may not be going away. Like as mentioned, America was built off of Capitalism from the start. Private business and shareholders run the economy not the government. But while this may work for companies that make phones and cars, it does not work in prisons. It is one thing for a free American to buy whatever they want against the competeing market, it is another for these companies to decided how the rest of your life will be lived out based on one of your criminal actions. I can only imagine how frustrating it is for some prisoners to feel like they have been cheated because they were thrown into a prison that inherently cares less about them due to being a private organization. While making big money is one thing, making that money while ruining people's lives is a whole other. I really do hope that in the future that our democratic government can put the hammer down on this idea for the betterment of all behind bars, not as a question of money, but of morality. Rock001
ReplyDeleteThis video explains the problems with CCA and the private prison industry as a whole. I do not believe the private prisons are inherently bad but I do believe that have been operated incorrectly. If the government chooses to cut costs and house prisoners in a private prison that is their choice. However, these private prisons must be help accountable and to a standard that is equal to publicly run prisons. I do believe there is a lot of politics behind private prisons. I can see there being many payoffs for judges and/or congressmen. This is a huge problem for everyone. Private prisons are shown to be such a bad idea which is understandable but I really believe that if they were run differently with perhaps partially publically funded with rules and regulations that they could work. There is a slow downward trend in privatized prisons which is expected to continue. I feel badly for anyone who is sentenced to these prisons at this time. I believe that management of these corporations are taking advantage of our problems in the correctional system. Jackrabbit001
ReplyDeletei always thought that private prisons sounded a bit sketchy but i never really understood how bad they are until i watched this video. essentially these private prisons are putting price tags on human beings. they need more people to get arrested so that they get more money. they don't care about people at all and see them almost like property. they get so greedy in fact that they are willing to have children locked up just for some more money. in return, these children's lives are now ruined. prison causes many psychological disorders for grown men, what do you think that kind of environment would do to a kid. its bad enough that they are getting money from locking people up, but the guards and staff are under qualified and have too much power. prisons require highly trained personnel to handle inmates. one mistake and there could be a prison riot. sexy_in_bikini 001
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to private prisons, I am completely against them. I can completely understand why someone would want to run a private prison. The only way that I would feel that I would not be against private prisons is if they paid their staff the same as a government facility would pay them, if they would make sure that their officers had the proper training, and if they were more open to the public. Since they are not any of those things, I am against them completely. Throughout the video, there were many things that I found interesting. One thing that I thought was interesting was how the officers in private prisons do not have the proper training and oftentimes harm the prisoners more than necessary. Another thing that caught my eye during the video was the fact that private prisons truly keep as many things private and away from the government as they can. One of the last things that I thought was interesting was that other countries were calling the United States out about our prison systems and how they find our prison systems as a form of torture and extremely dysfunctional. Overall, I can still understand why one would want to own a private prison because of the money that goes through it, but in the broad scheme of things, I am completely against what they stand for and think that the United States should get rid of the private prison systems for good. -Anchorman001
ReplyDeleteThe prison system in America is a very touchy subject for most people, as it holds more inmates than any other country, nearly two and a half million. Due to this overcrowding problem in America, it has led to the Federal government to fund private prisons to house inmates. These types of prisons receive money for each inmate they home. I find this interesting. Considering that much of the prison population consists of drug offenders, they are locked up rather than sent to rehabilitation centers and receiving the proper care they need. This could help to avoid private prisons in general and save taxpayers money. Private prisons, ultimately driven by money and greed, are somewhat corrupt and are not held entirely accountable for wrongful actions. These prisons are for profit, as they receive more money the more people they incarcerate. What intrigues me is how transparent this is, yet it is still a clearly seen problem. Josh Friedman states that private prison, or “for profit prisons”, have no place in a democratic society. Can it be any more clear that there is a slight issue when CCA declines to comment or fully answer questions asked about specifics? The private prison concept receives support from a non profit organization called the Reason Foundation which believes in less government and more privatization. Based on money, these prison systems are concerned with only money and not at all with rehabilitation. It truly is sad. It is obvious that this is a corrupt and money driven industry. Overall, the entire prison industry needs a reform, and this has been known about America’s brutal prisons for quite some time. Lastly, how does a murder case in a prison cell go unsolved, with skull fractures, and all officers walk free after the cameras were shut off on that one day? It truly blows my mind that these problems are not transparent to more people. -freckles001
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this video I have a much clearer perspective on these private prisons and now have a harder time appreciating them for what they are. Originally I never saw an issue with them and thought because they offered relief to the state and federal institutions that they were doing good by helping lower the over populated prisons but there are more negatives now after watching this. Seeing that CCA is making 2 billion dollars off of under paying staff and housing inmates just does not seem right, even if they are lowering the populations in the state and federal prisons. Since these prisons are "private" they do not have to disclose certain information which if they are doing a public service then that leads me to believe that certain information should be public domain. Hearing about the scandal between the two judges and private prisons infuriated me because the judges were getting bribed to sentence teens of minor infractions to a private institution in order for that private prison to receive more government money is just outright wrong. I understand America has our sense of making anything a business and turning it profitable but, just because it is private does not mean they should be exempt from disclosing valuable information in prison murders and other incidents.
ReplyDelete-Blues001
This video talks a lot about private prisons in the United States and how they make their money. One of the parts I liked was the guy they interviewed who had committed crimes in the past. He committed armed robbery, and actually got in a gun battle with the store clerk who in the man’s words, “didn’t want to be robbed”. He works for the private corrections institute now. I think it’s really cool that he turned his life around from being a felon in the early 1990’s and 1980’s and turned into a productive member of society. I think that the public should be shown more of these stories so they can see real change. Just because you do some stupid things in the past doesn’t mean that you can’t change the way you live and make something out of your life. My birth father committed armed robbery and got a sentence of 6 years. This video gave me hope that he can turn his life around and become something more than a felon. Even though I don’t know if he has or not, and may never will, I like to see these stories so that I can have hope for him and justify my reasoning at the same time. -Celtics001
ReplyDeleteThe history of private prisons started in the 1980’s because of the War on Drugs. That seems to be the start of a lot of problems in the US, which is the nation that incarcerates the most in the world. It is incredible to even think about 2 million people which is close enough to chicago's population is the amount of inmates in prison. Unfortunately , a lot of them that are in prisons are low income, minorities, or nonviolent crimes offenders. Which leads to overcrowded public prisons that pay private prison to house some of the inmates. since , they pay for them to be housed there, private prison profits for each cell that is taken. So, the more inmates have the more they are getting payed and pocketting because they don't pay their employing enough either. The worst part is the unethical way of treating inmates. Yes, maybe people think that “Why treat inmates correctly if they are in jail for a reason?”, but I think that they are still human and have dignity. It's very upsetting because the government uses the excuse of the American way for business being made, which all seems corrupt. The are incarcerating children for petty crimes and profiting from them instead of rehabilitating them into society again. taco001
ReplyDeleteI always found Prison's interesting. In the movies you see racist, tough, brute guards and a strict warden. We grow up hearing how Prison is the place for bad people and when released they become good. We never hear about the private prisons however. I guess this is because since the word private is in their name, they don't allow much press and prefer their corporate secrecy. Privately Run Prisons are, in my mind, a last resort move in our corrections problem today. We should only be using private prisons for high risk, high profile inmates, when now we have started using the private prisons for the low class, low profile, low offence criminals because it puts a dollar sign on them. For instance, the article mentions the judges who were payed to send the kids to jail, so they would be sent to those private prisons. They aren't there to help them, they are not trying to see the kids get better, they see a bigger profit margin then ever before. I think private prisons should be meant for the people we don't ever want to see released, terrorists, serial killers, serial rapists, child predators. Why should people like Estelle, an almost innocent women, face the brute actions of private prisons when they didn't even do crimes bad enough you read about in the local paper. Private Prisons only see one reason to be what they are, a dollar sign with a number behind it, the more prisoners we give them, the more 0's they see behind that number. - Lobster001
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