At least 300 prison riots have taken place since the beginning years in the prisons of the United States.
The last major incident occurred last week at Holman Correctional Facility (Atmore, Alabama), where prisoners complained of awful conditions. The strike has even been joined by security guards, which according to the instructions was to suppress the rebellion and close unhappy in solitary confinement.
The degradation of the prison system of the United States recognizes many human rights organizations, including Human Rights and Amnesty International. Over the past decade media interest in what is happening in correctional institutions fell three times (according to frequency of mention).
Almost 70% of Americans don’t know anything about the activities of prisons and Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) with an annual budget of more than $8 billion.
“Prisoners are, in fact, turned into slaves, which are required to bring money to the state and private companies, – says human rights activist Lindsay Dorff. – 900 thousand inhabitants of the prison labor for a few cents an hour or free. They have been denied medical care. Only a small part has the ability to get an education.”
According to many human rights activists, more than 98% of the prison budget goes to people who work in it. To prisoners every year spend less, although according to the official statistics day for one person in jail cost taxpayers about $190 – $230.
The prison business is booming, despite the closure of President Obama and private correctional facilities, which are sometimes spent on prisoners is less than 1% of the budget. So one of the prisoners in California complained to the defenders that the content costs less than a dollar a day.
“We get the cheapest high-calorie food, says the prisoner. – AC and battery is not in jail because of the reluctance of the authorities to pay large utility bills. BOP saves on the square, displacing people from single rooms to huge halls with bunk beds. They create horrific conditions not to punish us, and for trivial money”.
Currently in the United States there are over 5 thousand prisons (more than College) and they all bring someone a profit. An ordinary correctional institution concludes an average of 19 different contracts with private companies. For example, a contract for the Laundry or organizing recreational activities for prisoners.
“I visited three times in prison, but such business relationships to prisoners had never seen – says 70-year-old Patrick O., who is serving punishment in new Hampshire. Prison staff is absolutely not interested in what the convicted person. Most importantly – his talent. The ability to fix cars, work in the factory machine, cooking – any skill will be found useful.”
Particularly noteworthy is the fact that over the last 15 years almost 30% increase in the number of landings on the system “pay to stay”. The court carefully examining tax returns, Bank accounts, activities of the defendant and if it is more or less rich – makes to pay for their own stay in prison. This led to the fact that one in ten people with the money that has passed through the system of “pay to stay”, is forced to file for bankruptcy after the liberation.
Thus, of the US prison system is profitable. If all the prisoners at one point disappear, hundreds of thousands of people remain without work and thousands of businesses will close.
Supporters of prison reform believe that the pursuit of state and private companies for money due to the rapidly growing number of inhabitants of prisons. This year it exceeded $ 2.2 million. However, ten years ago the leaders of the BOP when Bush promised to relieve correctional institution at the expense of alternative methods of punishment (monitoring bracelet, house arrests, fines and corrective work).
In reality, the prison was much more favorable to alternative methods of punishment and BOP forgot about such American values as human rights. In prisons, people do not become better, and ruthlessly exploited. Hence – a huge number of relapses, which, according to different sources range from 43% to 68%.
Unfortunately, launched by President Obama and prison reform has led to a ban on the placement of the minor in camera-single and closing (selling to government) the private prisons. The main thing was not done – the prison system needs a major audit and transparency of all cash flows.
Candidates for the post of the 45th US President Hillary Clinton and Donald trump has vowed to fight for the rights of prisoners, but this election is not in the first place. Therefore, a business called “prison” will last very long.
