ABSTRACT
The term “mass incarceration” is misleading and ideologically driven. The fact is that incarceration is the appropriate penalty for crimes such as murder, rape, and other violent crimes. Incarcerated persons often spend years in an isolated prison environment, faced with inhumane conditions, deprived of social interaction, and without opportunities to receive meaningful educational and social support services. To maximize profits, private prison officials reduce costs as much as possible, which has the effect of creating deplorable and dangerous prison environments. The cost-cutting focus of private corporations translates to reduced staffing levels, reduced investment in training of prison guards, increased ratios of inmates to correctional officers, and lower wages for private correctional officers.
