It's an expedient method to fill prisons. It is designed to fill prisons and keep them filled.
Prisons are big moneymakers for profiteers.
For land speculators who sell toxic land and land next to nucleur power plant stacks for millions when they're otherwise worthless. Millions of taxpayer dollars for land to build prisons on. This in turn puts still more Americans out of work. Many are already in prison due to someone turning states evidence against a friend, relative, neighbor in exchange for a lesser sentence for themselves. Next time this person could be you.