Is America the crime capital of the world, do police do a "better" job catching criminals, are prosecutors tougher on criminals, are our laws stricter than any other country, are judges more harsh in sentencing, is the land of the free actually the land of LESS freedom? Why do we put so many people in jail?
PROFIT!
If anyone makes a profit putting and keeping people in prison, we MUST question the process and the motives as fundamentally flawed. Is our prison industry focused on protecting society, recovering lost souls who commit crimes, and doing good, or is making profits their true focus?
Just the words "Prison Industry" should set off alarms. It's an obvious contradiction in motivations, profit making prisons vs rights of prisoners. This is a perfect subject for people who believe in conspiracies.
"Prison–industrial complex"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison%E2%80%93industrial_complex
"US incarceration timeline
The term "prison–industrial complex" (PIC), derived from the "military–industrial complex" of the 1950s,[1] describes the attribution of the rapid expansion of the US inmate population to the political influence of private prison companies and businesses that supply goods and services to government prison agencies for profit.[2] The most common agents of PIC are corporations that contract cheap prison labor, construction companies, surveillance technology vendors, companies that operate prison food services and medical facilities,[3] prison guard unions,[4] private probation companies,[3] lawyers, and lobby groups that represent them.
The portrayal of prison-building/expansion as a means of creating employment opportunities and the utilization of inmate labor are particularly harmful elements of the prison-industrial complex as they boast clear economic benefits at the expense of the incarcerated populace. The term also refers to the network of participants who prioritize personal financial gain over rehabilitating criminals. Proponents of this view, including civil rights organizations such as the Rutherford Institute[5] and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU),[6] believe that the desire for monetary gain through prison privatization has led to the growth of the prison industry and contributed to the increase of incarcerated individuals. These advocacy groups assert that incentivizing the construction of more prisons for monetary gain will encourage incarceration, which would affect people of color at disproportionately high rates.[7] "
"An in-depth look at the U.S. Prison Industry"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison%E2%80%93industrial_complex
"U.S. Prison System: Largest in the World
The U.S. prison system is the largest in the world, not only in terms of overall number of inmates, but as a percentage of the total population as well. With over 2.3 million people behind bars, U.S. prisoners represent almost 25% of the world's total prison population (the U.S. population is 5% of the world). The only country that comes close is Russia, with South Africa a distant third."
