Prisons have always been a part of our judicial system, a public reminder that justice is swift and unforgiving. The first example of a prison was all the way back in 1000 BC in Mesopotamia, Egypt. However, prisons like the ones we see in the modern day started to develop between the 17th and 19th century.
It has always been a given that the government would run public prisons that hold offenders of all sorts. However, when plantations rose in popularity, so did the privatization of the prison industry. It was a lucrative trade, profiting off of the misdeeds of others. Plantations were the ideal place to hold prisoners after slavery was banned, and so they were put to use under the agreement that the owners of the plantations would run and profit off of them. Yet the privatization accelerated after the civil war, and the industry built off of punishment and not rehabilitation boomed.
Why then, is the spotlight suddenly being focused on the private penal system instead of centuries ago? As our data and DNA technology increases, so do the amount of wrongful convictions and death sentences revealing itself. Many sentences are too harsh and don’t match the crime, such as the three strike system, that dictates no matter the severity of the crime, after three strikes a life sentence is justified. All of these flaws are now being recognized, but reform is far off as the money continues to pour into the pockets of those who run these privatized prison systems.
Money has been proven time and time again to corrupt those in power, blinding them to the truth and reason behind their actions. Countless dictators have killed innocent people, countless wars have been started, and murder committed due to greed. Why does it make sense then that we put people’s freedom and the administration of justice in the very same hands that reap the benefits of incarceration.
This greed allows for outdated biases to find their way into the penal system. According to Pew Research Center, black prisoners still outnumber white prisoners five times over. This makes no sense however when looking at the fact that people of color make up 27% of the population, and black citizens make up only 14%. We then begin to see this unfurling pattern of institutional racism, embedded in the very core of our country.
The next disturbing trend that arises when examining private prisons is that of total incarceration time. While it should be noted that incarceration time in public prisons could be lowered due to overcrowding, some accountability has to be taken for the facts. According to National Bureau of Economic research, incarceration time in private prisons is significantly higher due to the fact that judges are influenced to add on charges by the prisons. This increases profits for the owners, and decreases the chance of parole for the accused.
The only facade of positivity that private prisons have presented is a lower inmate count, therefore theoretically making prisons safer for those who work and live there. This is challenged on several accounts.
An East Mississippi Correctional Facility surveillance footage shows a guard who took nearly half an hour to respond to an assault happening on an inmate.
The United States Courts show a total of 40 assaults on inmates per year in private institutions, as opposed to the 19 shown in the public systems. This trend of over double the number is highly concerning, considering the lack of accountability that private prisons are held to.
Another side of the coin exists too, showing that according to research and reports from various organizations, including the ACLU and the Office of Justice Programs, guard abuse of inmates appears to be more common in private prisons compared to public prisons. This is primarily due to factors like lower staffing levels, pressure to maintain profit margins, and potentially less stringent oversight in private facilities.
All of these discrepancies paint a picture of abuse, power grabbing, and greed. All of these traits directly go against those that founded our incarceration system. A system that is supposed to focus on justice, safety, and rehabilitation has instead turned into a piggy bank for our country’s most corrupt.
