Slavery

[FONT=&amp]There is a new form of slavery developing in the United States for the past three decades. Human rights, political and social organizations are condemning what they are calling a new form of inhumane exploitation. President of the United States made a remarkable entry into the place to study firsthand about what happens every day in this place. A prison population of approximately 2 million, mostly black and Hispanic are working for various industries almost at negligible daily wages. For the tycoons who have invested in the prison industry, it has been like finding a pot of gold. They don’t have to worry about strikes, unemployment insurance, vacations or comp time. All of their workers are full-time, and never arrive late or are absent because of family problems. If they don’t like the pay and refuse to work, they are locked up in isolation cells.
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[FONT=&amp]There are approximately 2 million inmates in state, federal and private prisons throughout the country. According to California Prison Focus, “no other society in human history has imprisoned so many of its own citizens.” The figures show that the United States has locked up more people than any other country: a half million more than China, which has a population five times greater than the U.S. Statistics reveal that the United States holds 25% of the world’s prison population, but only 5% of the world’s people. From less than 300,000 inmates in 1972, the jail population grew to 2 million by the year 2000. In 1990 it was one million. Ten years ago there were only five private prisons in the country, with a population of 2,000 inmates; now, there are 100, with 62,000 inmates. It is expected that by the coming decade, the number will hit 360,000, according to reports. What has happened over the last 10 years? Why are there so many prisoners?
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[FONT=&amp]The private contracting of prisoners for work fosters incentives to lock people up. Prisons depend on this income. Corporate stockholders who make money off prisoners’ work lobby for longer sentences, in order to expand their workforce. The prison industry complex is one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States and its investors are on Wall Street. This multimillion-dollar industry has its own trade exhibitions, conventions, websites, and mail-order/Internet catalogs. It also has direct advertising campaigns, architecture companies, construction companies, investment houses on Wall Street, plumbing supply companies, food supply companies, armed security, and padded cells in a large variety of colors.
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[FONT=&amp]Ninety-seven percent of 125,000 federal inmates have been convicted of non-violent crimes. It is believed that more than half of the 623,000 inmates in municipal or county jails are innocent of the crimes they are accused of. Of these, the majority are awaiting trial. Two-thirds of the one million state prisoners have committed non-violent offenses. Sixteen percent of the country’s 2 million prisoners suffer from mental illness. The passage in 13 states of the “three strikes” laws (life in prison after being convicted of three felonies), made it necessary to build 20 new federal prisons. One of the most disturbing cases resulting from this measure was that of a prisoner who for stealing a car and two bicycles received three 25-year sentences.

At least 37 states have legalized the contracting of prison labor by private corporations that mount their operations inside state prisons. The list of such companies contains the cream of U.S. corporate society. All of these businesses are excited about the economic boom generation by prison labor. Just between 1980 and 1994, profits went up from $392 million to $1.31 billion. Inmates in state penitentiaries generally receive the minimum wage for their work, but in Colorado, they get about $2 per hour, well under the minimum.
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[FONT=&amp]The prison privatization boom began in the 1980s and Wall Street stocks were selling like hotcakes. Private prisons are the biggest business in the prison industry complex. About 18 corporations guard 10,000 prisoners in 27 states. The two largest are Correctional Corporation of America (CCA) and Wackenhut, which together control 75%. Private prisons receive a guaranteed amount of money for each prisoner, independent of what it costs to maintain each one.

Profits are so good that now there is a new business of importing inmates with long sentences, meaning the worst criminals. When a federal judge ruled that overcrowding in Texas prisons was cruel and unusual punishment, the CCA signed contracts with sheriffs in poor counties to build and run new jails and share the profits. This program was backed by investment from major corporations and the operation was scattered all over rural Texas. After a law was signed in 1996 ending court supervision and decisions caused overcrowding and violent, unsafe conditions in federal prisons, private prison corporations in Texas began to contact other states whose prisons were overcrowded, offering “rent-a-cell” services in the CCA prisons located in small towns in Texas.
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[FONT=&amp]The prisoners would never be able to revolt against these profit-making corporations and the governments who collaborate to keep the prisoners for a longer duration for minor crimes unless there is a public awareness and the US citizens begin asking questions to the legislators about this disturbing trend. This is the best gift the US citizens could give to the prisoners for Christmas.[/FONT]

 

Dear Vaidehi,

This is a much talked about subject in the social, political and human rights forums regularly. As you know, most young adults are arrested and sentence for non-violent crimes. A number of them are regular users of weed in the United States and for possessing a small quantity of weed, they are arrested and punished implementing the law strictly. The terms of the sentence here in the US is lot higher when compared to other country.

After reviewing several articles on this subject, I am able to figure out what is behind such disciplined approach in enforcing laws.

Viswa

 

@butterflyice,

Exactly. The US as a country has surpassed all other countries in arresting and punishing their own citizens more than any other in the world. Prison business is a multi-billion dollar market in the United States. We have professional investors, corporations, salesmen and trained professional managers not only for increasing the number of prisons by adding additional correctional facilities but also for increasing revenues through high occupancy ratios and increase profitability.

We come across several cases of prisoners who were arrested and sentenced for more than 20 years for violence against women and after introduction of DNA analysis, they were proved as innocent. The city or municipal government gives compensation that is lot lower than what was earned from the person working for 20 years for a poultry sum.

I purposefully cut the names of the corporations in my post to avoid sensitivity as many here might be working for such corporations. The corporations from various industries are involved in this cheap labor and welcome it. Those people in the top 1% bracket of the country are clearly in control of the political and every other system in the US. Rarely, people like Preet Bharara who go after major corporate world kingpins and the amount of resistance he and other similar principled prosecutors face in the US is enormous.

The root cause of such issues is lack of awareness as most news media is owned again by corporate world. There has to be a social awakening that needs to take place and people should ask more questions to the elected legislators. Fortunately, legislators respond whenever the citizens make phone call or write to them. Most of them conduct regular conference calls with common public giving a chance to the citizens to question the decisions of the congress.

Viswa

 

Dear Kamalji,

Absolutely. Many investigative journalists have published their independent opinion after reviewing the prison system. In human rights, political and social forums, this is a hot topic nowadays.

Corrections Corporation of America is a leading company that thrives on running private cells in the United States. CXW is their symbol. They manage 47 correctional and detention centers besides managing another 20 which they don't own. The Company has a market capitalization of $3.17 billion, generated $1.7 billion in revenues in the last twelve month and approximately $400 million in cash profits. They have approximately 14,000 employees.

Do you think a company which is dependent on running cells will be happy if the punishments are less? Moreover, other corporate giants support this as well, as this corporation let their prisoners work for them. It is captive employment as they couldn't go on leave nor they could take personal vacation.

If you like what I write, you have to take credit for that as you are the inspiration for my new role here in IL. I am glad you like me writing on other subjects. I intend to write more and more about the issues faced in the United States regularly. I don't have jokes and hence I customize my signature line every time I write about a new subject.

Viswa

 

Dear Smt. Jayasala:

This has been going on since 1980s and there is a lot of awareness about this issue in the recent years thanks to the press. Average age of the prisoners in the US is 33.4 years and the largest group in excess of 25% of the total prisoners is in the age group of 20-25. Most crimes are very trivial in nature but the prison terms are longer.

There is a special sales force to recruit prisoners for the corporations and they are handsomely paid as the cost of labor is very cheap. Building corrections facility to accept outsourced prisoners is the most lucrative business now in the US.

Viswa