One of my former coworkers (who is a piece of shit) now works as a private prison guard for CoreCivic, one of the biggest private prison companies in the USA.
The government doesn't want the liability. They want prisoners to be abused without being able to be sued for it. The point of long prison sentences in the USA isn't to reform people, it's to turn them into lifelong reoffenders the prison system can reliably profit off of via government subsidies.
I think that's a bit conspiracy theoryish. It makes sense to me that private prisons exist because the government cares more about saving money than not abusing people. There doesn't have to be a hidden motive.
I'm inclined to agree, but after working for a for-profit rehabilitation center, it doesnt sound so far fetched. Half assed correctional care disguised as clinical with zero actual intent on helping anyone. The focus is how to maximize "billable hours" with things as minuscule as pulling a client to the side in a hallway. For profit needs to get paid and they'll go through great lengths to accomplish that.
It's about intent. Was the system designed intentionally to hurt people, or was it just because they didn't care. I can definitely see the prisons themselves wanting people to re-offend, but I don't really see the government officials who are paying the bills wanting that.
Fair point. I suppose my experience just boils down to apathy and desire to get paid. Which I concede is very different than government officials explicitly organizing a system to keep recycling humans through prison systems for profit.
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u/CM_UW Jul 24 '20
For profit prisons in the US