Why Johnny Can’t Toke: Keeping Private Prisons Profitable By Feeding Them Low Risk Offenders

[McCamy Taylor]

Check out two articles linked in today’s DU. First, U.S. businesses that outsource to Mexico are hurting. Border violence---fueled by U.S. demands for (currently) illegal marijuana have made the northern portion of Mexico a lot like Beirut in the 1980s.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4851996

Poor U.S. manufacturers. It’s too dangerous to outsource our jobs. Good thing the American workers have someone in their court----the states which have an economic incentive to keep marijuana Illegal with a capital P. As in, you will do hard prison time in those states if you light up. Private prison time.

Here is the DU article on the five states which bring the hammer down hardest on those who commit the victimless crime of smoking weed:

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/marmar/21614

Note that the state at the top of the list is not on the U.S. Mexican border. Why is Oklahoma so down on dope? Because recreational drug users are the cheapest, easiest prisoners for private prisons to incarcerate (at public expense). And your average pot smoker is a lot easier on the pocketbook than a full blown heroin addict. No HIV, not Hepatitis C. Just one poor soul who wants to get out of jail real bad so that he can return to his productive life as a U.S. worker. This guy is definitely not going to be a problem for the private company that is getting paid a gazillion dollars to keep him from smoking (weed) for a year.

“Follow the money,” he said. “Private prisons make a profit of over 30 percent on each inmate. They utilize a good portion to influence local policy decisions by hiring the most affluent lobbying firms and making political donations.”

http://opea.org/private-prisons-are-no-bargain

Oklahoma is booming. Or, at least, its prisons are.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OKCURE/message/1832

The state's prison population routinely hits 99 percent of capacity, the
Board of Corrections was told Wednesday.

In Texas, private prisons are a boom industry. Note that Texas has the largest number of private prisoners in the country as of 2007:

http://www.texasprisonbidness.org/lobbying-and-influence/texas-increases-private-prison-population

And guess who comes in second? That’s right, Florida, the third worst state in which to smoke dope. Arizona, the fifth worst state for draconian pot laws is third in number of for profit incarcerations. Louisiana made the list in 2007, too, and GOP Governor Bobby “Blanche” Jindal (relies on the kindness of the feds for free money while arguing against Big Government)wants to see even more money flow into the hands of the privates.

http://www.thepelicanpost.org/2011/04/05/legislators-attack-jindal’s-plan-to-privatize-prisons/

Paul Rainwater, Gov. Jindal’s top budget advisor, counters that the one-time money would help private health providers navigate a tough financial year.

Hmmm. And if we sold every male whose name begins with the letter B (sorry, Bobby) into slavery in Saudi Arabia, we could pay for platinum plated health insurance for the rest of us!

Remember, we don't want our private prison industry to suffer hard times just because the rest of us are, either. So, light up America! Keep those manufacturing jobs at home and America's private prison industry profitable!

[russspeakeasy]

1. Florida is second in "for profit prisons", but not for long.

Our new governor wants the number one position and is pulling out all the stops.. He sells it as a jobs program after turning down $2 billion in high speed rail funds.. What state has a worse governor than Florida?

[rurallib]

26. we had a candidate for governor here once who made the statement

"jails and lotteries are a hell of a thing to build an economy on." Can't remember who it was.

[w8liftinglady]

2. This is an awful problem in Texas

County jails are full of parking ticket,uninsured motorists.

One example..Lancaster Police arrests for this week...see a trend?

http://www.elliscountypress.com/police/lancaster/12074-lancaster-police-reports.html

Arrests

May 2 – 8

Eddie Johnson Jr., b/m, 40, Ferris PD warrant

Christopher Tramone Kirk, b/m, 24, Lancaster PD warrant

Charles K. Hunt, b/m, 21, Dallas PD warrant

Brodrick Hartfield, b/m, 27, Dallas County Sheriff’s office warrant

Willie Davis Clark, b/m, 37, possession of marijuana

Tamara Sue Chandler, w/f, 40, driving while intoxicated

Kelli Renee Bullard, w/f, 27, theft

Derrick Dewayne Carter, b/m, 28, Dallas County Sheriff’s office warrant

Travis James Blackshear, b/m, 29, evading arrest or detention

Markita E. Anderson, b/f, 25, Lancaster PD warrant

Jumaane Middleton, b/m, 31, other agency warrant

Latasha Morgan, b/f, 31, Lancaster PD warrant

Yuvaron Carter, b/m, 28, Dallas PD warrant

Christopher Oneil Miller, b/m, 31, DeSoto PD warrant

Dedic Demont Athy, b/m, 33, Lancaster PD warrant

Dalmario Antjuan Gabriel, b/m, 21, Tarrant County warrant

Keisha Marie Dixon, b/f, 22, Dallas County Sheriff’s office warrant

Derrick Woods, b/m, 30, Lancaster PD warrant

Ashley Rochele Wheeler, b/f, 23, burglary

Broderick O. Mccoy, b/m, 30, Lancaster PD warrant

Kearie Lee Franklin Jr., b/m, 38, Lancaster PD warrant

Michael Dewayne Newman, b/m, 28, other agency warrant

Derek Scott Bradley, b/m, 21, Lancaster PD warrant

Chrystal Nicoe Reyna, w/f, 30, Lancaster PD warrant

Kaneshia Tashae Lyons, b/f, 23, driving while license invalid

Etinoso Oluwasegun Osifo, b/m, 18, Lancaster PD warrant

Shaquille Dishon Myles, b/m, 18, assault

Marlon G. Dismuke, b/m, 47, Lancaster PD warrant

Kortney E. Phillips, b/m, 21, Lancaster PD warrant

Terry Matthews, b/m, 42, Lancaster PD warrant

Antwon Carter, b/m, 22, Lancaster PD warrant

Andra Durrell Mcgee, b/m, 22, driving while license invalid

Jaime F. Esqericueta, w/m, 31, discharging/carrying firearms and projectile weapons

Jesus Manuel Vizcarra, w/m, 34, discharging/carrying firearms and projectile weapons

Dominque Jamor Bates, b/m, 18, expired/no motor vehicle inspection

Jeraye D. Evans, b/m, 18, Cedar Hill PD warrant

Jared Blake Roane, w/m, 31, Lancaster PD warrant

Christopher J. Eyssallenne, w/m, 21, Lancaster PD warrant

Antonio Dewayne Strange, b/m, 20, possession of marijuana

Cedric D. Reason, b/m, 36, public intoxication

Degabrial Ramon Gipson, b/m, 32, failure to maintain financial responsibility

Ricky Maurice Barton, b/m, 49, Dallas County Sheriff’s office warrant

Johnny Lee Drennan, w/m, 65, Lancaster PD warrant

Shandala Latrice Bell, b/f, 39, Lancaster PD warrant

Jesse L. Rimes, b/m, 39, Lancaster PD warrant

Antonio Escobar, w/m, 47, public intoxication

Yumecca Nicole Warren-smith, b/f, 36, Irving PD warrant

[KansDem]

19. "...failure to maintain financial responsibility?"

What the hell kind of charge is that?

[w8liftinglady]

29. car insurance. They are in jail for no car insurance.

[KansDem]

33. Thanks...

I would have thought "No car insurance" would have been more clear. Kind of like "no automobile registration" or "no driver's license."

And more to the point...

[RadiationTherapy]

44. Do all those 'b's mean 'black'?

Holy crap.

[felix_numinous]

3. K&R

Thank you for posting this, this racket needs exposing.

[corpseratemedia]

4. the states are turning into private corporate autocracies..

sure, no "slavery," just use minor drug etc. charges as an excuse for super-cheap labor. Another version of "states rights" if you ask me. Is there not a federal law that says that a prison cannot be allowed to do something for less (unless its work-training that's not surreptitiously on-going) than the state or national minimum wage?

[TBF]

5. Recommended. nt

[WinkyDink]

6. Bonus effect: No more voting rights!

[Overseas]

7. It is so disturbing to realize our prison system is being privatized, converted to a For Profit

system. Cost cutting in the prison system is bound to create even more problems.

And you've got a great point about those business owners wanting more placid prisoners having an incentive to support tougher laws on nonviolent crimes.

In our system so corrupted by lobbyists ready to write our laws, I hope we can stop the continued privatization of our prisons.

The privatization of healthcare should have been enough of a warning not to pursue such a dangerous course. Our people have become sicker and sicker and bankrupt from medical bills since the Profit motive was allowed to dominate our healthcare systems.

There are some areas of government that should not be turned over to the profit motive. Education. Health care. Prisons. Mass transit.

The private sector does not do better for all of us. It only does better for the owners of those businesses and makes the corruption more private.

I thought the Obama administration would lead us back out of the cruelty of making Profit the supreme guiding principle of our country. The Bush Gang's war profiteering should have cured us of that. The Wall Street heist should have capped off that inclination. War profiteering, mortgage profiteering and healthcare profiteering had become so extreme, I thought my Democrats would form a strong block of support behind making some profound changes.

So it has been quite painful to read about the continued privatization of education and prisons.

[sarcasmo]

8. Tax it and Legalize it. For profit prisons equal always having a lawyer on retainer.

[DeSwiss]

9. POLICE STATE!!! - K&R n/t

[Avant Guardian]

10. Libertarianism = bribery system

Bribery, kickbacks, no bid - no work contracts...corruption. Welcome to the third world.

[leftstreet]

11. K&R

Interesting links

[iscooterliberally]

12. Our country now has more people in prison than any other.

We are supposed to be 'The Land of the Free'. I guess our national anthem is now a lie? If this is the case, does this mean that every American soldier who has fought and died in every war from the time of George Washington up until now has sacrificed their life in vain? I would think that only the state should run prisons, and they should not be profitable. They should be run at a loss. I think that people who commit acts of violence and steal on some level should be the ones that lose their freedom. This is just slavery, plain and simple. We are not free. :mad:

[Atypical Liberal]

13. I sympathize, but...

I sympathize with those who want to smoke pot. It is less harmful than alcohol, and it is less addictive than nicotine. There is absolutely no reason why people should not be able to grow it, buy it, and smoke it to their heart's content. It should be legal. I believe within our lifetimes it will be legal, at least in some places of the US.

That said, it is a very easy thing to avoid jail for. Don't smoke pot, and you don't have to worry about funding the private prisons.

[Fumesucker]

14. Don't get pregnant by accident and you won't have to worry about abortion being illegal..

Sounds pretty liberal to me...

[Atypical Liberal]

16. Who said anything about abortion?

I think abortion should be legal, too, for any reason whatsoever.

But I think the analogy is a little thin. We are all driven by the biological urge to procreate. For most people it is extremely powerful - as powerful as the urge to drink or eat. This means there will always be unintended pregnancies.

I don't think most people have a biological urge to smoke pot.

[The Midway Rebel]

18. Actually....

History records that human beings have dropped whatever they were doing to alter their consciousness or to go get high for thousands and thousands of years. There in fact seems to be a biologiccal urge to get fucked up. Several good books have been written about the topic. Here is one:

http://www.amazon.com/Intoxication-Universal-Drive-Mind-Altering-Substances/dp/1594770697

[saras]

42. You understate the case

It's not just humans. Many mammals, and most of the higher mammals, use drugs. And it's quite clear they're drugs, and it's quite clear that they sometimes pay heavily for using drugs. But use drugs they do. Pretty much any non-synthetic drug consumed by humans is also consumed by some animal, and other animals use drugs that don't even affect us.

Ever watched cats with real live catnip plants? There's cats that don't care, there's once-a-week binge drunks, there's light tipplers, there's stoner cats, and there's some, like one we had, who'd get so stoned she'd fall over, even going out the upstairs window and falling off the roof, landing with suspicious regularity on the catnip plants. This cat would not have LIVED had we continued to offer infinite free catnip.

I've seen pigs that love to get drunk, too. And it's pretty obvious they know they're getting drunk. It's a completely different excitement than when they eat.

Yeah, historically, unless you have a fascist government executing drug users, then people use drugs. And a fair number of people just don't get along with alcohol as a drug.

[The Midway Rebel]

43. Well then...

Let's party!

:toast: :party: :bounce: :smoke: :hangover: :9 :+ :party:

[Fumesucker]

22. About three quarters of American adults drink alcoholic beverages..

Do you think three quarters of the public has a biological urge to drink alcohol?

[Atypical Liberal]

23. Nope.

Do you think three quarters of the public has a biological urge to drink alcohol?

Nope, except for those with addiction problems, it is completely voluntary behavior.

[Fumesucker]

25. Then why do such a large percentage drink alcohol?

Alcohol is even more mind altering than pot, clearly a great many Americans like to have their consciousness altered.

[Atypical Liberal]

32. Because it is pleasurable.

Then why do such a large percentage drink alcohol?

Because it is pleasurable and legal to do so.

I'm not debating whether or not a lot of people want to do something. I'm sure lots of people want to drink, and do, and I'm sure lots of people want to smoke pot, and do.

I'm simply pointing out that for the vast majority of marijuana users, it is a completely voluntary choice to use marijuana and risk going to prison for it.

[Fumesucker]

37. You might want to keep in mind that just because you don't indulge in pot..

By no means implies that you are going to be free of negative effects from the war on pot.

These people for instance were very lucky they weren't shot themselves like their dogs were. Other innocent people are not so lucky.

http://articles.cnn.com/2008-08-07/justice/mayor.warrant_1_dead-dogs-cheye-calvo-trinity-tomsic?_s=PM:CRIME

A Maryland mayor is asking the federal government to investigate why SWAT team members burst into his home without knocking and shot his two dogs to death in an investigation into a drug smuggling scheme.

"This has been a difficult week and a half for us," Cheye Calvo, mayor of Berwyn Heights, Maryland, said Thursday. "We lost our family dogs. We did it at the hands of sheriff's deputies who burst through our front door, rifles blazing."

The raid last week was led by the Prince George's County Police Department, with the sheriff's special operations team assisting, after a package of marijuana was sent to Calvo's home.

[Atypical Liberal]

38. Please see my post #17

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1107761&mesg_id=1111892

There is no doubt that the "war on drugs" is a huge money and power grab with negative consequences for everyone.

The current thread is about how profitable pot-smokers are to the private prison system. My commentary is solely to point out that most people can avoid being incarcerated for using pot because for most people it is, as you say, an indulgence.

[Fumesucker]

39. And my point is that it is impossible to be *certain* that you will never run afoul of the law..

Even if you have done absolutely nothing wrong, like Kathryn Johnston.

Here's another story from the drug war..

http://freestudents.blogspot.com/2007/01/atlanta-cops-lied-and-kathryn-johnston.html

This blog previously reported on how drug cops in Atlanta murdered an elderly grandmother. According to their “official” story drugs had been purchased at the home of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston and then returned later that day to raid the home and arrest the alleged drug dealer, a young man.

But neighbors said that Johnston lived alone and that she never let anyone into her home because of her fear of crime. Police started breaking down the doors of the terrified woman, who no doubt thinking herself under attack, shot in self-defense. Her aim was good too. She got them but they lived. She didn’t. Of course the police fired back and killed the old woman.

The apparent truth at the time was that the police were lying. But the truth is coming to light.

The Atlanta Constitution reports that one “police narcotics officer has told federal investigators at least one member of his unit lied about making a drug buy at the home of an elderly woman killed in a subsequent raid...”

[Atypical Liberal]

40. I never claimed that it was.

I'm sure you'll agree, however, that most people in jail, or even killed for using marijuana are not innocent victims caught up in the war on drugs.

[BobbyBoring]

27. I do

And have NEVER had a desire to have kids. Many females in my life have fallen by the wayside as soon as the B word came up.

Could just be me though~

[Atypical Liberal]

41. I was not clear.

What I was getting at is the desire to have sex. For most people it is a powerful biological urge, similar to being thirsty or hungry.

[iscooterliberally]

15. Everyone who pays taxes funds the private prison industry.

You also might want to check out this link. Whether or not you do any drugs, this stuff can still ruin your life. It's really not as easy to avoid as you might think.

http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/drug-war-victim/

[Atypical Liberal]

17. I agree with you 100%

I agree with you 100% - we are all paying for this useless "war on drugs" and many people get caught up in it even if they are having nothing to do with drugs.

The war on drugs is a giant, money and power-sucking farce, no doubt.

But it's still pretty easy to avoid going to prison for doing illegal drugs - don't do illegal drugs. Yes, you can still get caught up in drive-by shootings, and paramilitary no-knock raids on the wrong address. But that's probably pretty rare compared to the number of people going to jail for actually violating drug laws.

[tpsbmam]

21. Thanks a whole hell of a lot

I desperately need medical marijuana. Desperately.

I have multiple sclerosis and in the last year+ have developed horrible spasms. I take 3 legally prescribed medications to combat the spasms but I still get breakthrough spasms. They're painful. They greatly affect my quality of life. They're greatly affecting my health.

One of the things that has happened very recently with my MS is that its affecting my autonomic nervous system in a way it never has before. It's scary. To be graphic, I had one bout of diarrhea the other day. Before it my BP spiked to frightening levels -- stroke levels. The same thing happened yesterday, except this time it was nausea associated with my failing kidneys. I get lots of nausea thanks to advanced chronic renal failure. And now, it's causing my BP to go out of control when I get it.

So there is a substance out there that has proven to be safe, safer than a substantial portion of the medications I'm prescribed, that will help with both my nausea and my spasms. The latter became important to me in the last year or so, the former became critical over the last month or so.

I've always refused to buy marijuana illegally. I'm one of those go-by-the-rulebook kinds of people, at least when it comes to laws. (When it comes to the rest of my life, I'm more than willing to challenge & break rules where warranted.) I don't want to buy or smoke it illegally. In addition to the legal issues, I'm afraid of getting pot laced with something else. If I won't go out and buy it, you can be damned sure I won't grow it!

We don't have medical marijuana in NC (yet...there's a pending bill. I doubt it'll pass with the ReTHUGS taking over in 2010). My only option, if I want to try to help myself, is to buy it illegally. So, according to you, I should just suffer. I could actually die from one of those spikes, you know -- the levels to which my BP is spiking are dangerous. But if I buy marijuana illegally, you think it's fine and dandy for me to go to prison if I get caught.

Again, thanks a whole hell of a lot.

:grr:

[Atypical Liberal]

24. I knew that was coming.

It should be very obvious that I was not talking about medical use of marijuana.

Taking needed medicine is not what I would call a voluntary activity.

[tpsbmam]

31. You may differentiate, but in states without medical marijuana laws, the law doesn't

so we're all lumped together. The recreational user is taking no more risk than I am. Yes, it's for different reasons but so what? If I decide to go that route, I do so knowing that I'm breaking the law and could go to jail. In NC, it's not likely on the first offense because NC has partially decriminalized small amounts of marijuana -- it's a misdemeanor with a fine of $200 for 1/2 ounce or less. I don't know what would happen with repeat offenses.

I'm unlucky in that I don't live in a medical marijuana state but I'm lucky I don't live in a state that hands out felonies for small amounts. Or I could live in a state like Utah, where having even cannabis metabolites while driving is considered driving under the influence and comes with a mandatory sentence of 48 hours to 6 months. We all know how long it takes for metabolites to get out of your system!

I get what you're saying and it's true that people make a different kind of choice when they use it recreationally, but we're all still making the choice to break the law. Most importantly, we all face the same legal ramifications. Yes, an NC court is likely to look more favorably on me than a college kid out partying. I'm frankly not sure I'm willing to count on it though, and I sure as hell wouldn't if I lived in a state like Utah! But that's me -- I'm a law-abider in general, in this case even when I think the law is stupid as hell.

[Atypical Liberal]

35. As I said...

As I said, I wasn't talking about people who involuntarily use marijuana, such as yourself.

I'm pretty sure the vast majority of people in jail for marijuana use were not using it for medicinal purposes.

[Warren DeMontague]

20. The drug war is a fucking SHAM and a JOKE. Legalize, regulate, and tax it.

Fucking ENOUGH, already.

[Marblehead]

28. If a company got into

private schools and private prisons they could create their own future prisoners.

[Hubert Flottz]

30. While the thieves who steal billions get a BONUS!

The people who murder by pollution get a free pass.

[DirkGently]

34. Exhibit 5,834,221 in the Why Private Prisons Are a Bad Idea file. Well done.

[Oceansaway]

36. K&R...n/t

[Odin2005]

45. This is how the eilites are trying to turn people back into actual slaves.