Across the United States, hundreds of jails have eliminated in-person family visits over the last decade. Why has this happened? The answer highlights a profound flaw in how decisions too often get made in our legal system: for-profit jail telecom companies realized that they could earn more profit from phone and video calls if jails eliminated free in-person visits for families. So the companies offered sheriffs and county jails across the country a deal: if you eliminate family visits, we’ll give you a cut of the increased profits from the larger number of calls. This led to a wave across the country, as local jails sought to supplement their budgets with hundreds of millions of dollars in cash from some of the poorest families in our society.
I don’t believe in carceral justice but those who abuse prisoners deserve to join their victims.
I’m very curious about the first part of your statement. Do you believe in an eye for an eye, literally chopping off fingers for thieves, immediate forgiveness for repentance, or just execution?
Not who you asked but my money is on something more in line with transformative justice.
People are in prisons for insanely stupid reasons, why shouldn’t the people abusing them for their own gain not deserve punishment?
Even theft is a whole different ballgame than actual indentured servitude and abuse of power.
Who cares about theft?
Wage theft in the US totals approximately 50 billion dollars per year. That’s more than all burglaries, robberies, and car thefts, combined.
That’s one white-collar crime. How many people behind bars stand convicted of it?
Yes