Such people are also pressed into security service during lockdowns and other periods of institutional crisis. I defy you to name another field of work, other than truck driving, that people simply fell into out of unemployment or insecurity. This complete lack of any recruitment mechanism has enormous consequences. Criminals believe that only the worst form of human being would take a job locking up and keeping other human beings. Instead, it appears to be something picked up as soon as you walk in the door.
Inmates are usually black, low-income folk from urban areas.
It goes to the heart of organizational matters. Survey after survey shows that guards actually believe in things like rehabilitation. They're optimistic about inmate chances for success when they get out. Guards are, in fact, both loved and hated by inmates. The two groups have a symbiotic relationship.