Justice Department to phase out private prisons

Started by Vekseid, August 18, 2016, 11:28:50 AM

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Vekseid

Washington Post Article.

QuoteThe Justice Department plans to end its use of private prisons after officials concluded the facilities are both less safe and less effective at providing correctional services than those run by the government.

Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates announced the decision on Thursday in a memo that instructs officials to either decline to renew the contracts for private prison operators when they expire or “substantially reduce” the contracts’ scope. The goal, Yates wrote, is “reducing — and ultimately ending — our use of privately operated prisons.”

“They simply do not provide the same level of correctional services, programs, and resources; they do not save substantially on costs; and as noted in a recent report by the Department’s Office of Inspector General, they do not maintain the same level of safety and security,” Yates wrote.

A small bright bit of news for this country, for once.

Soveliss

Now hopefully they will get some people who only committed nonviolent offenses, or worse, victimless crimes, out of prisons where they don't belong (prisons that, I might add, turns non violent people into hardened criminals. Wether because they have to become ruthless to survive the environment where they are put with dangerous hardened criminals or because they are forced into crime because no one will hire ex prisoners, even those in jail for minor offenses, is up for debate), and maybe get them alternate punishment. I'm sure if you force people who have committed nonviolent offenses to, say, do janitorial duty for Gov't buildings or other things we might call "work-release", not only would it be more humane but we wouldn't have as many nonviolent criminals turning into dangerous felons.
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Blythe

Pretty excited about this. Private prisons are generally not as good as BOP ones, and I've always been really bothered by the whole 'for-profit' thing.

Quote from: from article
It is possible the directive could face resistance from those companies that will be affected.

I wonder what sort of resistance they could put up?

TheGlyphstone

Throwing money at the congresspeople they own to block the JD from doing it somehow?

Kythia

YOU HAVE PRIVATE PRISONS?!?!?!

What the everloving fuck...
242037

consortium11

Quote from: Kythia on August 19, 2016, 04:10:16 AM
YOU HAVE PRIVATE PRISONS?!?!?!

What the everloving fuck...

The UK does as well; there are 14 privately run prisons which house about 15% of our inmate population.

Kythia

#7
Really? Wow. That's incredible. Labour's brilliant idea I assume? Off to Google. Curse you for telling me though, now I can't feel superior.

Edit: Do you know, now I'm reading it I think I knew Doncatraz was privately run.
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consortium11

Quote from: Kythia on August 19, 2016, 07:37:55 AM
Really? Wow. That's incredible. Labour's brilliant idea I assume? Off to Google. Curse you for telling me though, now I can't feel superior.

Edit: Do you know, now I'm reading it I think I knew Doncatraz was privately run.

Tory actually; the first ones appeared in 1992 under John Major with the first real move to put them in place coming in 1986. Originally it was intended that all new prisons should be privately built and operated and by the time Labour came in there were four of them.

Labour being Labour they vehemently opposed private prisons when in opposition but within a week of coming into power had done a complete u-turn... seven more were opened under them (mainly through PFI funding) with the rest coming under either the coalition or the current Conservative government.

And I should note this is only discussing actual prisons; many of the youth offender institutions and detention centres for immigration which are de-facto prisons are also privately run.

Kythia

I volunteer in a privately run immigrant detention centre.  I'm not certain "de facto prison" is 100% accurate but I take your point.

I had assumed it was Labour's PFI boner that did it (hence the comment) good to see I was half right.
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Renegade Vile

I didn't even know private prisons were a thing. I should look up if that's the case over here too as that just brings a whole slew of problems along with it, such as the "for profit" issue lady Lustful Bride brought up.
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Kythia

242037

Renegade Vile

Quote from: Kythia on August 19, 2016, 03:15:24 PM
Looks like it might well be

*sighs* Wonderful... But the government certainly has plenty of money to spend on a monarchy that does nothing, a Belgian government that's pointless and politicians whose very stressful job of sitting in committees and stroking their law degrees requires them to take about three to four expensive holidays a year.
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Missy


Lustful Bride

Quote from: Missy on August 19, 2016, 08:04:56 PM
gee, being a politician sounds nice.

Yeah but being an elected official means you cant even wipe your rear without making an expensive committee for it first :P

TheGlyphstone

Quote from: Lustful Bride on August 19, 2016, 08:43:56 PM
Yeah but being an elected official means you cant even wipe your rear without making an expensive committee for it first :P

At least in Belgium, it sounds like you can put yourself on that committee though, and get paid for deciding whether you can wipe your rear or not.

RedRose

The very concept of a private prison... Scary. As if public ones aren't corrupt enough. But again, at least, private ones have enough funds I guess...
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Cassandra LeMay

Quote from: RedRose on August 20, 2016, 03:00:34 PM
But again, at least, private ones have enough funds I guess...
Yup. Funds coming out of the taxpayer's pocket in this case.

Isn't it lovely to pay taxes to fund people who will fund other people to do something, instead of funding the first set of people to do the same thing?
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gaggedLouise

There's even a prison tv network over yonder, aiming to edify the imprisoned men and women. I think that one's private-run too.  :P


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