Corruption of the federal prison system: The Revolving Door (or: where your tax money is going)
Posted: Wednesday, May 11, 2005
by Jeanius
Last night as I was going to the 711 for a cup of coffee, I somehow found myself in an intellectual
Today's American prison system creates a “revolving door" – inmates are released without any job prospects and in most cases, without any place to go. No one will hire an ex-con, especially one who has been convicted of murder, rape, etc. Released convicts therefore resort to living on the streets -- increasing the crime rate and lowering property values. This is a common fact. The State obviously realizes this- in fact, this is done purposely. The government realizes that in many cases the former prisoners turned homeless will commit petty or victimless crimes (drugs, public indecency, etc). Today's laws enable a homeless person to get arrested for peddling (asking for change).
The federal government releases these ex-cons and purposely perpetuate this "game" by almost encouraging this increasingly problematic homeless situation. So why does the prison system want their inmates to fall into the revolving door trap and return to prison or jail? Prisoners' money or any personal collateral is put in a federal bank. In turn, the state collects BILLIONS on interest, as well as plea bargains.
Over 2.1 million people are in prison or jail today. The US has the LARGEST amount of people in the system in the ENTIRE WORLD. Women are the fastest growing segment of the prison population (103,000 women currently locked up). Today, the jails are all near capacity. 932 criminals are thrown in every week. An impressive statistic, if all of those criminals were rapists and murders. However, petty, small-time pot-dealers are being thrown in jail (for example), and being released angry, bitter, psychopathic, and with a vengeance. In many cases, less violent and aggressive inmates learn to become similar to their homocidal and/or perverted prison peers, and it becomes a means of survival while locked up.
Jeremy Travis, John Jay College of Criminal Justice: “What do we do with the 630,000 people coming out of state and federal prisons each year? That’s FOUR TIMES more than came out of state and federal prison 20 years ago, 1,700 people a day. So when we put them in prison we tend to forget that they all come out."
***Three years after release, two out of every three prisoners are back behind bars.*** (nexislexis.com)
12.6% of black men in their late 20s are in prison
3.6% of hispanics
1.7% white men
**On average, it costs TAXPAYERS $22,000 a year PER prisoner (2.1 million people currently in jail...you do the math). It costs the state 37 CENTS per tray of food. Granted, the prison guards must be paid and the jails must mantain a general upkeep. However, in no way, shape, or form does a prisoner use up $22,000 in funds by living in a 4 x 4 cell. Trust me. Where does the rest of the money go, you may ask? Well, directly into the POCKETS of the state.
Furthermore, consider this: 92,000 FOREIGN BORN criminals in the US prison system right now. At $22,000 a pop, the state collects 2 BILLION DOLLARS in foreign prisoners ALONE.
Interestingly enough, when an immigrant (or possible immigrant) is arrested they are simply ASKED if they were born in the US. If the criminal confesses his/her true status, immigration officials are notified and in most cases the felon is deported. Obviously, however, word quickly spreads to lie to inquiring officials, and the system simply accepts the FELON'S WORD WITHOUT ANY DOCUMENTED PROOF! Now with all the technology of modern day (and all the money within the system), you would think they could somehow confirm that a prisoner is a native to this country. But why would the state ever do that when they could capitalize off of foriegn criminals?
Also interesting, last year 125 people were exectuted, the lowest number since capital punishment reinstatement in 1976. (6th consecutive year of decline).
Wow. I never type in caps-lock. This situation has got me really heated because there's so little one can do about the absolute corruption of the government in this and so many other situations. Ignorance truly is bliss.
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More commentsDon't be a jerk in the first place. Work hard and stay in school. If you have a sob story, keep it to yourself. You earned it.You are very innocent in saying this. I have seen many people who have been forced indirectly to plead guilty and face a couple of moths in prison or go to trial and face 15 years of hard time, or challenge in court the most powerful country in the world who has a limitless supply of financial resources (that is money). Do you know how much a good criminal attorney charges 400 -500 /hour. Even a multimillionaire can go broke after a couple of years. Did you know that the feds have a 97% conviction rate? Do you think that they are right 97% of the time.
Prisons are not built for rehabilitation. They destroy people emotionally as well as phsychologically. It is punishment, depriving people of liberty and freedom. They will make it as unbearable as possible. What they don't understand is that they then release broken people back into society without any safety nets. They reoffend because they have no recourse. They either commit suicide or do whatever it takes to stay alive. There have been a few programs started as alternatives to prison - mostly for juveniles that have had great success. There are also a few programs to help people build a new life upon release from jail or prison. They also have seen success. These are never given the funding or publicity they need to spread around the country mainly because they COST MONEY and are not a source of income for the states. Prosecuting crime creates jobs - police, prosecutors, defense attorneys and all the support people needed plus the fines, impound fees, property auctions do create revenue for the state agencies to support them. Our system is broken and there is no one interested in trying to fix it. A lot of people are complaining about it but it is falling on politicians deaf ears because they are also part of the machine.As a former CJ Instructor, there is some insight that may be given here.There have been significant changes in how the system is run; and money has dried up for helping prisoners when they get out. Budgets have been cut in that area, and groups or agencies for human rights have made it impossible to operate rehabilitation due to "views that it violates their constitutional rights"' with it being upheld by leftist judges. The whole system needs an overhaul from top to bottom.Kii
I thought that was an excellant article You said a lot of things that make a lot of sense and that are very true. I feel for the people who are in prison for so long and cannot find jobs to make it on their own when they get out but I also say that there are people that will help them faster than there are people that would help me find a job just because they have a situation. Sometimes people like churches and such really like a reason to help people. But I do understand what you are saying and you have some really good info there.
Look, here is the deal. I suggest anyone interested should study a course called, "Victim Awareness". This is a kick-butt course that produces results. It puts the criminal in the place of the victim. He or she literally is brought to feel what his/her victim felt. It teaches empathy...something the criminal minded person has little if any comprehension of otherwise. Look, criminals do not become criminals over night. They spend years building up to it, grooming for it, preparing for it. They study their victims carefully. Have you ever been stalked by someone? It is no different than being a hunted animal. The criminal study's the victim ever so carefully until he/she believes they know the victims every thought and move. It is creepy! Criminals choose to offend because they did not choose to not offend.
how can i found a person thats in jail and what was they charge with?
I can validate what Jeanius says. I, too am a homeless, former federal inmate. I am well-educated (2 doctorates) and haven't been able to find meanngful work (I am tending to baby goats at the moment)!Regards,Brian
Thank you for this very interesting article. Concerning the formatting, here's still one issue in my opinion, the apparent total lack of sources or details regarding your affirmations and assumptions (quotations? statistics? where do you get all this from, except for the one website you're naming?).
It would be relevant too, to know from what situation/context/point of view you're writing this: what is your status, eg. "simple citizen" or officer in the force?
Anyway, this subject is too rarely raised. I hope this question will be over the time more and more debatted not only in the USA, but in other countries like France, where I come from and where the public opinion is, maybe there more than in other parts of the world, increasingly sensitized to this problem (that's a start, at last), and where it is generally considered that the penitentiary system definitely needs lights to be spot on its unacceptable flaws and sinnings in the field of Human Rights.
This article was very helpful to me because I just wrote my Thesis on Prison Corruption: Why Is It Tolerated, Or Allowed To exist? From my research and discoveries, (along with your piece) the question is, who's the real criminal?
most of what you are saying is valid. however i do know for a fact that inmates can find jobs that look past there criminal records. they just don't know where to look and i think someone needs to be a forerunner on educating them on this matter.
Watch THE OBAMA DECEPTION...the Federal Bank is running the country.
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