http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/199812/prisons
An excellent article form The Atlantic Monthly about the system of "corrections" in the United States, which is becoming a carceral society, a la Foucault - over 2,000,000 prisoners in the whole country!!! Together with those on parole and probation, the total came to over 7.2 million adults in 2006. That's about 3.2% of the U.S. adult population, or 1 in every 31 adults!!!
(More statistics here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisons_in_the_United_States)
The article focuses especially on the private prison industry and everything that entails. Eisenhower warned the American society about the military-industrial complex when going out of office. It became a reality during Reagan's times, while the prison-industrial complex was the next step in the privatization madness, occurring under the watch of George W. Bush as Texas governor and later president.
This must be stopped. Health care, prisons, emergency management, environment and similar domains CANNOT and MUST NOT be privatized. The culture of greed has been slowly destroying this country and the world at least for the past three decades. It is about time to start turning things around and to begin a new chapter in history.
in china they turn prisons into force labor camps and reap profits from them....
AntwortenLöschenconsistent with the totalitarian regime's turn toward capitalism
AntwortenLöschenIf you want to decrease the prison population by at least 50% decriminalize drugs. More then half the people in there are there for possession, distribution, or stealing to support their habits. The ones in for drug related violent crime, well some people deserve to be jailed.
AntwortenLöschenAgree 100% - the so-called "War on Drugs" is a failure and a sham. A recent issue of The Economist has several articles on this subject:
AntwortenLöschenHow to stop the drug wars
http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13237193
Legalising drugs might stop DRUG wars; those involved are criminals, do you think all of a sudden they`re going to go straight? No, they`ll move on to other, equally as unlawful, equally as violent activities.
AntwortenLöschenI would point out prohibition as a counter example. The violent crime rate went up during it, and dropped back down after it. Of course you already made criminals out of some people, but at least you stop breeding them.
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