For-Profit Prisons

A for profit prison, or private prison, are not owned by the government, that profits off of how many inmates they turn in. This controversy argues whether or not this is ethical or beneficial to the economy. The corporations running these for profit prisons claim to be saving money, when on the opposing side of this argument, it is believed that these corporations have their true focus on protecting their, “own bottom lines”. For profit prisons’ goal, according to the opposing side, is to lower operating costs by hiring fewer employees, paying and training them less, and pay the minimal amount of necessary every day items for the inmates to get by. Opposing members are angered at the fact that these prisons receive less security, which increases the violence within the inmates, also putting the security guards at risk. These corporations in charge of for profit prisons make around $22,159 per inmate, convincing the opposing side that these corporations would go to any lengths, no matter how amiss, to keep these profits. Not only do these facilities have the image of greed, but the conditions are so vile at times that it effects the behavior of not just the inmates, but minorities, police, and the court as well. According to statistics, the United States is one of the countries with the most crime, beating out china, a communist country. For profit prisons also seem to be packed with people of color. “The Sentencing Project”, made an estimate that about one in three black males will spend their time behind bars, one in six latino men, and one in seventeen white men. Black men spend an average of twenty percent longer behind bars than white males do. The income that the corporations are making only benefit the corporations themselves, leading people to believe that majority of what they do is caused by greed. The “cash for kids” scandal does not help their reputation either; in 2007, some minors were found guilty for minor offenses then sending them to these for profit prisons (as juveniles) then creating more income for the corporations. These prisons also ruin the administration of justice, impairing it’s efficiency.