• Rentlar@lemmy.ca
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    3 months ago

    https://calmatters.org/justice/2024/01/california-prison-cost-per-inmate/

    Somehow, spending $11,000 per month to trap vulnerable people into the prison system is better than providing rent for a $2,000/month place, with enough left over for food, clothing, basic medical and mental healthcare and providing college or vocational training for free.

    An UBI of just $500/month? Nope, those are handouts for the undeserving. The people that deserve money hand over fist are police unions, prison guard unions, prison goods and services contractors of course.

    • TheDoozer@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      All you need to do is look where (to whom) that $11k is going to answer the question.

      For-profit businesses are expected to do what they can to turn a profit. A business whose profits are often dictated by public policy are expected to bend that policy toward their profits. Elected officials who are dependent on fundraising to be re-elected have an incentive to listen to the will of those businesses in their constituency.

      Which is exactly why for-profit prisons should be absolutely, without exception, banned from any free country. It’s not a conspiracy to say for-profit prisons create more prisoners, it’s an obvious and inevitable consequence.

      Edit: before anyone mentions California banning for-profit prisons, the industry still makes plenty of money from the system.

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Just because the prison is not “for profit” does not mean the prisoners are free from the prison industry. They can still be loaned out to private companies to make things.