With the unjustified and vile murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many other unarmed African Americans sparking new interest in discussions regarding criminal justice, issues in our current system are being highlighted by those calling for change. Some of these topics include police reform, drug laws, mass incarceration and yes, America's private prison industry. In this second article in an ongoing series on private prisons, it is my goal to dive into what makes private prisons a new target of protest, and contemplate why the issue has gained new controversy in recent months.
When examining the issue of mass incarceration, we often hear the repetition of the same astonishing facts. America makes up 5% of the world's population, yet holds 21% of all prisoners globally. Over the last 40 years, the number of incarcerated Americans has quadrupled. African Americans are incarcerated at a rate five times that of whites. All of these facts are shocking, yet when looking at the statistics of private institutions specifically, the findings are even less comforting. The Black Lives Matter movement has been openly critical of private prisons in the United States, largely because private prisons incarcerate people of color at rates even more disproportionate than publicly operated prisons. To address these issues, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has recently spearheaded strong criticism of private prisons over the last month. The NAACP, in collaboration with five inmates, have filed a federal lawsuit against the Arizona Department of Corrections, claiming their contracting of private prisons is both unconstitutional and is resulting in the violation of human rights. The state currently has contracts with six different private prisons, adding up to 7,740 inmates. The lawsuit states that Arizona is currently facilitating a form of modern day slavery, with thousands of inmates forced to generate monetary benefit for corporate owners, shareholders, and executive management. Both the state and targeted prisons have pushed back against these claims, however, explaining that their institutions serve to generate second chances, and benefit inmates through a wide range of services. Whether you believe the “for profit model” of incarceration is beneficial or not, the idea that Americans can invest in the imprisonment and unpaid labor of our people is thought provoking to say the least.
Are private prisons a money saving producer of second chances, or are they a machine fueled by unpaid labor, overlooking human rights in pursuit of profits? Many are divided on this question, and the idea is extremely complex. One thing is clear however, American incarceration will likely continue to be an aspect of criminal justice brought into question by those demanding change, and for some very substantial reasons.
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