via Pixabay
Corporations make money off of prisons, period. Yes, we need to ban private prisons just like California, New York, and Illinois have. But remember, just because your state does ban private prisons, that doesn’t mean corporations aren’t finding other ways to make money off prisons!
A lot of companies don’t mind mass incarceration because they’re raking in cash. How? Think about these services: food, transportation, healthcare, and communication (phones, video calls, etc). And that’s not all. They make money off of prisoners getting released, too. Think probation and monitoring!
Companies like Global Tel-Link make tons charging absurd amounts for calls from prison while others like Corizon make BILLIONS off of healthcare in these facilities. The bail industry loves making money off the prison system, too, because they stack plenty of paper thanks to debt.
Don’t forget about police departments! They also can get money when they want. Asset forfeiture is a process that allows police to legally steal from suspects. They can take someone’s property just because they SUSPECT a crime, then keep it and sell it to make money for the department!
It’s important for us to remember, while banning private prison companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group is good, there’s more work to be done. Many companies want to see Black people locked up because they’re eating off of it... and they have influence to make it happen. That’s part of the problem!