An interesting series on NPR this last week - I only caught the first segment. The reporter claims that 2/3 (that is 2 out of 3, 66%!) of the inmates in U.S. prisons are pre-trial prisoners who can't make bail and who aren't allowed release on own recognizance. Not because they wouldn't qualify, but because the for-profit bail-bonding industry works hard to make sure that high bonding requirements for release are the norm. We could drastically reduce the prison population if non-violent offenders were handled in a way that benefits the community and taxpayer rather than the bondsmen. I am sure the for-profit prison industry would not be pleased by such changes either.
stan On Jan 23, 2010, at 11:50 AM, Bob Sullivan wrote: > Graydon, > With some exceptions, prisons are built with public funds and run by > public employees. In an effort to relieve overcrowding, privately run > prisons have been proposed, but rarely used. Yhe general public in > the US has little sympathy for prisoners and spending on new, more > comfortable prisons. You did the crime, you do the time. (And may > God have mercy on your soul.) > Regards, Bob S. > > On Sat, Jan 23, 2010 at 11:06 AM, Graydon <[email protected]> wrote: >> On Sat, Jan 23, 2010 at 10:10:31AM -0600, Bob Sullivan scripsit: >>> Graydon wrote: >>>> The US generally runs prisons as profit centres.< >>> I don't think so. Maybe loss centers or money pits. >> >> The folks running the prisons are doing so on a for-profit basis in many >> cases. Uncle Sam is not likely showing a net profit, no. But somebody >> is, or there wouldn't be so many of them. >> >> -- Graydon >> >> -- >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> [email protected] >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >> follow the directions. >> > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
