Why is privatizing the prison system a topic of debate?
Because we can no longer afford the big business of prisons or to build and staff monolithic prisons that do not serve their purpose of rehabilitating inmates or making us safer. It is a shame on our country that 1 of every 100 adults in the United States is behind bars. America incarcerates a higher percent of its people than any other country in the world–six times higher than China! Prison time replaced mental hospitals and it will be worse when many of our brave soldiers return with PTSD and other mental problems. We need reasonable sentencing and parole reforms, and sensible rehab programs that teach job and life skills. A good place to start is in rewarding prison workers when released, rehabilitated inmates stay out of trouble. The $50K annually per inmate that California saves by not incarcerating someone, could be used to increase the salary or benefit pool of those who work for the prison systems. Conversely, when the recidivism rate goes up, the prison workers benefits and
