CCA condones beatings, lawsuit says Idaho prison accused of denying medical treatment

[Uncle Joe]

Source: Assocated Press

"A federal lawsuit claims that Nashville-based Corrections Corporation of America is running an Idaho prison that is so violent it is known as "gladiator school" by inmates.

<snip>

Opponents argue that CCA, the nation's largest private prison operator, uses its political influence to stifle those who say prisons should not be in private hands. It recently lost an attempt to keep all its prison records private when the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that CCA acts as a public entity in operating public prisons.

The latest lawsuit claims that Idaho's only private prison is extraordinarily violent, with guards deliberately exposing inmates to brutal beatings from other prisoners as a management tool.

<snip>

The group contends the prison then denies injured inmates medical care to save money and hide the extent of injuries."

Read more: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100312/NEWS03/3120343/1017/NEWS

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There is much more in this article.

I believe there are three great immoral, dysfunctional institutions, for profit prisons, "health" insurance corporations and mercenaires, these should all be only in the public domain and no good can come from privatization of them.

[ro1942]

1. obviously there shouldn't be profits made

in the prison system.

[Uncle Joe]

3. Can you imagine they type of laws their lobbyists would be greasing the palms of Congress to pass?

I don't know this for certain but I wonder if they were behind that three strikes and you're out insanity, people serving long terms in prison as felons for the most trivial offenses?

[IDemo]

5. No need to imagine -

Lobbying for stricter sentencing laws

According to the Boston Phoenix, CCA spent more than $2.7 million from 2006 through September 2008 on lobbying for stricter sentencing laws.

In a 2009 editorial, political commentator Bill Maher is quoted, "Prisons used to be a non-profit business... The CCA and similar corporations actually lobby Congress for stiffer sentencing laws so they can lock more people up and make more money. That's why America has the world's largest prison population -- because actually rehabilitating people would have a negative impact on the bottom line."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrections_Corporation_of_America#Lobbying_for_stricter_sentencing_laws

[Uncle Joe]

7. Thanks for the link, IDemo.

:thumbsup:

[Downwinder]

2. When Law Enforcement becomes a profit center, it becomes corrupt.

No Law Enforcement is better than corrupt Law Enforcement.

[Uncle Joe]

4. If there was ever an inherent conflict of interest, this would be a prime case example.

Having those institutions entrusted with great legal enforcement power, whether police or jail-keeper to make direct profit based on the number of people arrested and/or imprisoned.

That kind of negative business model dynamic can only argue for increasingly draconian laws to be passed, one thing is for damn sure, they won't be bribing/lobbying Congress to increase the American People's freedom, or privacy.

One other thing; I see in play, as these for profit martial entities increase in power and wealth, the amount of money available to them for bribing/lobbying purposes will increase thus intensifying the adverse dynamic against the American People's liberty.

[alp227]

6. I thought that prisons were supposed to be secure.

But only if the state runs and regulates them. If a prison is a business, it becomes a caged anarchy. Oh, the irony!