This is the morass into which the monster of privatization snaked its way. Unsurprisingly, then, some privately operated jails have cost the government 24 percent more than public facilities in the same region. But the number of firms involved is decreasing, with two firms, Wackenhut and the Corrections Corporation of America, accounting for 75 percent of the ownership. Meanwhile, these new arrangements are fueling the demand for more people to be incarcerated, since full cells are often required in order to turn a profit. Back to slave days and Nazism.
Convict labor is another way to make crime pay.
In 1995, prison administrators came under fire when chain gangs reappeared along the roads, breaking rock or picking up trash. Sixty percent of them were African American, reflecting the fact that Black men are 7.5 times more likely to be incarcerated than white men. Prisoners may end up working for either the prison or an outside company. They make circuit boards, waterbeds, and cars. They have worked the night shift stocking shelves at Toys R Us.