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mk  ·  4873 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: ACLU report on the rise of 'for profit' prisons and what that means for our society.
Leading private prison companies essentially admit that their business model depends on high rates of incarceration. For example, in a 2010 Annual Report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the largest private prison company, stated: "The demand for our facilities and services could be adversely affected by . . . leniency in conviction or parole standards and sentencing practices . . . ."

IMHO, the US has arrived at Central Planning via capitalism. The policy of sectors like Defense, Energy, Communications, and Corrections are led by corporations rather than the will of the public. These industries are not efficient, and they are not very market-driven. We have more prisoners than any other country in the world in part because we have an private prison industry that writes legislation that increases the incarceration rate.

Due to Citizen's United, the contributions of these entities are unlimited, whereas the public's contributions are limited to $2500 per person. The US is simply not a democracy. It has elements of one, but it is not one. The ironic thing to me is, that so called 'conservatives' continue choose corporate power over government power. The government answers to voters. Corporations answer to stock-holders. The GOP sells disenfranchisement by giving public influence to entrenched corporate influence, and people buy it somehow believing that a free-market is at work.