They must be really, really bad.

[Stinger]

The private prison company, Corrections Corporation of America, the largest company taking over prisons when states privatize their prison systems, lost four -- count 'em -- four major contracts in the last month.

The latest one they lost was in Idaho, when CCA " turned the state’s largest prison into a violent hellhole inmates called 'Gladiator School.'" Think Progress

Last week, Texas -- yes, that gentile, loving, warm and fuzzy state of Texas -- closed two CCA prisons, "including one with a history of suspicious prisoner deaths."

And, last but not least, Mississippi closed a CCA prison, "After multiple deadly riots over poor food and sanitation, lack of medical care, and mistreatment by guards."

The states that gave us Huntsville and Parchman Farms kick CCA out for being too sorry? That's really, really bad.

Mississippi's solution is to turn the CCA prison over to MTA, "even though MTC runs another prison with the highest inmate assault rate in the state." So, it's not like they're really concerned about inmates.

And even though Mississippi has cancelled other contracts with yet another privatization company, GEO Group, "after it was found guilty of turning a juvenile facility into "a cesspool of unconstitutional and inhuman acts,'" Mississippi is still going all-in with private prisons.

That far-right ideology must be adhered to, no matter what assaults reality may bring down on it.

Dumbasses.

Think Progress

[bannination]

That's sad. Government runs prisons are bad enough, but all this privatization.... wow.... There is a high chance that there are innocent people in those prisons subjected to those conditions. Not that I'd want guilty people subject to it either, I just feel especially bad for those that are innocent.

[Cowboy]

Texas and Mississippi are giving them the boot?!?
Ye Gods.

[Stinger]

The first one Mississippi kicked out is GEO Group (out of Boca Raton, Florida). The judge hearing the case said GEO turned a youth correction facility into “'a picture of such horror as should be unrealized anywhere in the civilized world,' including guards smuggling drugs to inmates, employees having sex with inmates, denial of medical treatment and denial of basic educational services." He also said GEO, "has allowed a cesspool of unconstitutional and inhuman acts and conditions to germinate, the sum of which places the offenders at substantial ongoing risk."

There were other comments about "inhuman" (inhumane?) acts.

A frickin' YOUTH correctional institute. Teenagers. Employees having sex with inmates at a YOUTH correctional institute? The frickin' electric chair's too good for those scumbags.

(Of course, the replacement, MTC, is being sued by the ACLU for "extremely dangerous facility" in Mississippi where "basic human rights are violated daily.")

[Cowboy]

A frickin' YOUTH correctional institute. Teenagers. Employees having sex with inmates at a YOUTH correctional institute? The frickin' electric chair's too good for those scumbags.

Unless they made money for the front office.

[O Really]

Looking at the article as well as the related comments, it looks like the argument descended quickly into a generic "government vs. private industry" issue. It's not a matter of who runs the prisons, it's a matter of proper requirements, oversight, and inspections. Some states have awful prisons, and many of CCA's are better than what they replaced. Obviously some are not. But ultimately, whether you contract out part of the system or not, ultimately it's the legislators who have responsibility for how prisons are run.

[bannination]

Looking at the article as well as the related comments, it looks like the argument descended quickly into a generic "government vs. private industry" issue. It's not a matter of who runs the prisons, it's a matter of proper requirements, oversight, and inspections. Some states have awful prisons, and many of CCA's are better than what they replaced. Obviously some are not. But ultimately, whether you contract out part of the system or not, ultimately it's the legislators who have responsibility for how prisons are run.

True, however, if you have "oversight" and "standards" there goes your cost savings... and profit. I find the idea of profiting off of prisoners is just plain sick honestly.

[neoplacebo]

Well, since the Supreme Court legalized the purchase of elections, and since Senators and Congressmen / women have been bought by lobbyists and special interests the past 30 years or so, this prison thing certainly follows logical progression. I wonder how it would shake out if one of the "for profit" inmates successfully sued for "cruel and unusual punishment," which I believe is something our Constitution guarantees us against as citizens. Looks to me like the only entity that could be sued in that situation is the government since the private prison industry does not guarantee or obviously care about such basic tenets.

[O Really]

Looking at the article as well as the related comments, it looks like the argument descended quickly into a generic "government vs. private industry" issue. It's not a matter of who runs the prisons, it's a matter of proper requirements, oversight, and inspections. Some states have awful prisons, and many of CCA's are better than what they replaced. Obviously some are not. But ultimately, whether you contract out part of the system or not, ultimately it's the legislators who have responsibility for how prisons are run.

True, however, if you have "oversight" and "standards" there goes your cost savings... and profit. I find the idea of profiting off of prisoners is just plain sick honestly.

Yes, but they (legislators) can't really escape blame just because they say "it's the contractor's fault" although of course they will try. But in principle it's no different from the state contracting for construction and building management of an office building. I'd definitely agree that "cost savings" shouldn't be at the top of the list in operating prisons, though. Even if the state (or a county or muni) runs it, they still don't want to listen to the professionals. I had a County problem once where the County Commissioners were demanding reduction in jail costs, including the hiring of guards not qualified by state standards (not that the standards there were high to start with), using fewer per shift than legally allowed, hiring civilians for things like prisoner transport, yada. And that was just what they were willing to say in a meeting. Who knows what they were really willing to do - I'd say cut down on the bread and water.

But it's not likely to get better. There's very little sympathy for prisoners, and most people apparently can't see that it's in the state's best interest to try not to make prisoners meaner, more anti-society and more violent when they come out than when they went in. And nobody ever got votes running on a "prison-improvement" plank.