Judge Who Profited Off Sending Kids to Private Prison for Minor Offenses is Convicted

[warwick.hoy]

The privatized; for profit prison system is incredibly scary to me. I sense an Orwellian future if this is allowed to continue.

http://www.democracynow.org/2011/2/2...vania_kids_for

I hope they throw the book at this scum. This man's very greed and corruption is undermining our democracy. This probably won't be the last time something like this happens,....but he needs to be made and example of.

[TheVoiceless]

Two sectors that should NEVER be for profit, prison and health. This is why the US is screwed up.

[Relic]

Originally Posted by TheVoiceless

Two sectors that should NEVER be for profit, prison and health. This is why the US is screwed up.

I wouldn't say that the "US is screwed up" - we do many things right IMO, but I could not agree with you more on profit and prison being a REALLY bad mix. It's insane.

[TheVoiceless]

Well, to clarify the US is great and I love my country, but we do have some things that need improvement. And these are two things that need to be reevaluated. ANY country that has privatized prison's is missing the picture. Not sure if the US is alone in that category.

[MakiSupaStar]

Isn't our adult prison system privatized?

[ehque]

Originally Posted by TheVoiceless

Two sectors that should NEVER be for profit, prison and health. This is why the US is screwed up.

How about civil services, education, and the military?

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

Originally Posted by Relic

but I could not agree with you more on profit and prison being a REALLY bad mix. It's insane.

Agreed.

[MJ5150]

I thought the government ran the prison system in the USA?

-Mike

[warwick.hoy]

Within the United States, a total of 158 private correctional facilities are
operating in 30 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. Texas
has the most facilities (43), followed by California (24), Florida (10), and
Colorado (9). Most private correctional facilities tend to be concentrated
in the Southern and Western United States.

Source: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/bja/181249.pdf

[warwick.hoy]

More current statistics.

* In 2009, over 7.2 million people were on probation, in jail or prison, or on parole at yearend — 3.1% of all U.S. adult residents or 1 in every 32 adults. The total correctional population declined (down 0.7% or 48,800 offenders) during 2009, the first decline observed in the population since the Bureau of Justice Statistics began reporting this population in 1980.
* At yearend 2009 a total of 4,203,967 adult men and women were on probation and 819,308 were on parole or mandatory conditional release following a prison term.
* State and federal prison authorities had jurisdiction over 1,613,740 prisoners at yearend 2009: 1,405,622 under state jurisdiction and 208,118 under federal jurisdiction.
* Local jails held 760,400 adults awaiting trial or serving a sentence at midyear 2009.

Source: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=11

I'll reserve any commentary on this as I know this is walking a fine line of the verboten on TB. Suffice it to say I can think of at least one way to lessen the burden on the prison system.

[Balog]

Unfortunately, crime has been linked with finacial rewards for .gov for a long time. Look at red light cameras. Proven in every study ever done on them to actually cause more fatalities when installed, and yet cities are still champing at the bit to get more in. Police are often funded largely through revenues collected via fines and tickets.

[Deluge Of Sound]

A man's gotta eat.

[smperry]

Originally Posted by Relic

I wouldn't say that the "US is screwed up" - we do many things right IMO, but I could not agree with you more on profit and prison being a REALLY bad mix. It's insane.

agreed.

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

A man's gotta eat.

LOL

[bassmeknik]

"I sense an Orwellian future"


Days of future past......

Welcome to the real world

[TheVoiceless]

Originally Posted by ehque

How about civil services, education, and the military?

I would say Military and civil services, like roads and the such.

But I'm on the fence with education. I can see the benefits from the privatization of education. If your not using it you would not have to pay for it, which is the reason most budgets get shot down in my town. Its majority 60 and older. And I think at some point you should not have to pay for other peoples kids to go to school.

Punishment should not be for profit on the sole basis someone is getting rich off of criminals. The money should come from tax payers. Just my opinion.

[jp58]

I remember reading about this. I'm glad that Soab got what was coming to him.

[TheXym]

This slimeball was in the Scranton area, about 35 minutes south of me. They can't come close to giving him a suitable punishment for what he did to wrongly ruin the lives of so many kids and families. It's one thing to send someone away if they commit an egregious crime, but to do it for trivial reasons as he so often did, is beyond reprehensible.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by Balog

Unfortunately, crime has been linked with finacial rewards for .gov for a long time. Look at red light cameras. Proven in every study ever done on them to actually cause more fatalities when installed, and yet cities are still champing at the bit to get more in. Police are often funded largely through revenues collected via fines and tickets.

Anything to back that up?

A quick google shows it to be the opposite:

http://www.lsureveille.com/news/stud...tive-1.2467161


I can't see how trying to stop people from cutting a red light will increase fatalities.

On a similar note, it is like the anti-speed-camera folk, who go on and on about it just being a way for the government to get money from us, yet (at least in Scotland) it costs more to run them than they actually yield. Which kinda neuters that point!

[jp58]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

Anything to back that up?

A quick google shows it to be the opposite:

http://www.lsureveille.com/news/stud...tive-1.2467161


I can't see how trying to stop people from cutting a red light will increase fatalities.

On a similar note, it is like the anti-speed-camera folk, who go on and on about it just being a way for the government to get money from us, yet (at least in Scotland) it costs more to run them than they actually yield. Which kinda neuters that point!

With the ticket prices they charge for not actually doing their job, I can't help but feel like they make a fortune on those. The last person I knew to get a ticket from one of those owed $325 plus court costs ($125). It came close to 350 Euros/275 pounds after it was all said and done.

[Balog]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

Anything to back that up?

A quick google shows it to be the opposite:

http://www.lsureveille.com/news/stud...tive-1.2467161


I can't see how trying to stop people from cutting a red light will increase fatalities.

On a similar note, it is like the anti-speed-camera folk, who go on and on about it just being a way for the government to get money from us, yet (at least in Scotland) it costs more to run them than they actually yield. Which kinda neuters that point!

People slam on the brakes trying to avoid entering on a yellow and possibly getting a ticket. Rear end crashes increase. I see that a new study came out indicating that cameras reduce fatalities, but considering every other study I've seen on the matter indicates otherwise I doubt those results. Link referrences on major paper, and several other studies.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0311151159.htm