Dear Americans,
As you read this, take a moment and imagine a man, we’ll call him Bill. Bill is a hard-working man, who has a girlfriend who he hopes to one day marry and have children with. One day Bill is driving along the road and is stopped by a police officer. I feel right now that I should note that Bill has a squeaky clean record. The officer searches Bill’s car and finds some drugs. The story stops here. Notice how I never said where Bill was from? There’s a reason for that. The reason is because drug laws vary throughout the country, however, in many states, even first time offenders, such as Bill, can be faced with a hefty fines and a prison sentence.
As you read this, take a moment and imagine a man, we’ll call him Bill. Bill is a hard-working man, who has a girlfriend who he hopes to one day marry and have children with. One day Bill is driving along the road and is stopped by a police officer. I feel right now that I should note that Bill has a squeaky clean record. The officer searches Bill’s car and finds some drugs. The story stops here. Notice how I never said where Bill was from? There’s a reason for that. The reason is because drug laws vary throughout the country, however, in many states, even first time offenders, such as Bill, can be faced with a hefty fines and a prison sentence.
You might be wondering what the point of that little story was. Well, allow me to explain.
There exists a huge problem within the American criminal justice system. That problem is privatized prisons. You probably don’t know what those are, as many people in this country do not know what they are. Privatized prisons are prisons that are owned and operated by private companies. You may be wondering why this is a bad thing, well, allow me to explain.
Private prisons came about in the 1980s when the US government decided to get tough on crime. One of the main crimes that the government got tough on, was drugs, even with the movement being dubbed as the War on Drugs (hence the story earlier). Incarceration rates skyrocketed, and as a result, many states couldn’t afford to pay for the increasing price of imprisonment, so private companies decided to pick up the tab.
There exists a huge problem within the American criminal justice system. That problem is privatized prisons. You probably don’t know what those are, as many people in this country do not know what they are. Privatized prisons are prisons that are owned and operated by private companies. You may be wondering why this is a bad thing, well, allow me to explain.
Private prisons came about in the 1980s when the US government decided to get tough on crime. One of the main crimes that the government got tough on, was drugs, even with the movement being dubbed as the War on Drugs (hence the story earlier). Incarceration rates skyrocketed, and as a result, many states couldn’t afford to pay for the increasing price of imprisonment, so private companies decided to pick up the tab.
These companies make money with these prisons based upon how many people are housed in these prisons. The largest private prison company, the CCC, confirmed this by saying “The demand for our facilities and services could be adversely affected by . . . leniency in conviction or parole standards and sentencing practices.”
Privatized prisons and their demand for steep sentences is one of the main reasons why the United Stated is the nation with the highest rate of imprisoned people. They are responsible for 6% of state prisoners, 16% of federal prisoners, and, nearly half of all immigrants detained by the federal government.
Privatized prisons and their demand for steep sentences is one of the main reasons why the United Stated is the nation with the highest rate of imprisoned people. They are responsible for 6% of state prisoners, 16% of federal prisoners, and, nearly half of all immigrants detained by the federal government.
As Americans, we cannot continue to let this be the case. These private companies are billion dollar companies and have huge stroke with lawmakers, which is one of the reasons why so many things, besides drugs, have become illegal in this country and can result in prison terms. According to PrisonLegalNews.org, as of the year 2012, private prison companies had given over $6 million to state politicians and $835,000 to federal lawmakers. By doing this, many things in this country have become illegal. For example, nowadays, many people are imprisoned for nonviolent drug offenses. As of September 26, 2015 (BOP.gov), 48.4% of imprisoned people were convicted of drug charges. That is absolutely ridiculous!
Let’s take a moment and re-evaluate the facts. Nearly half of the people imprisoned in this country today are imprisoned for drug charges, private prisons have stroke with lawmakers, and private prisons came about in the first place because of the war on drugs. Do you see the correlation here? This is no coincidence, this is exactly what these companies want. We, as Americans cannot continue to let this happen.
The United States prides itself on being the land of the free. However, by having the highest incarceration rate in the entire world, that statement seems to bit hypocritical, don’t you agree? We need to change the laws in this country, and it starts by getting rid of private prisons. There are things we can do, such as making petitions, starting trends on social media, or by having peaceful protests. All of these seem to get the attention of the media and politicians. These have worked in the past, such as with the civil rights movement, labor movement, women’s suffrage, and many others. The movement against private prisons can become the next big movement. A movement that will leave a much needed positive impact on this country.
The United States prides itself on being the land of the free. However, by having the highest incarceration rate in the entire world, that statement seems to bit hypocritical, don’t you agree? We need to change the laws in this country, and it starts by getting rid of private prisons. There are things we can do, such as making petitions, starting trends on social media, or by having peaceful protests. All of these seem to get the attention of the media and politicians. These have worked in the past, such as with the civil rights movement, labor movement, women’s suffrage, and many others. The movement against private prisons can become the next big movement. A movement that will leave a much needed positive impact on this country.
Thank you,
Sherrod Hollingshed
Sherrod Hollingshed