Don't Worry, The US Prisons Are In Good Hands....ha, ha, ha, ha!

[James Lewis]

Peter, you definitely have a point on your post, but with all due respect, you've forgotten about the major reason that prisons in the US have deteriorated to the point that they are at today. That reason is money. You know the old saying..."Money talks, BS walks"? When you have a for-profit prison system, which is financed by the public sector, the bottom line...and I mean the bottom line, is all that matters. Speaking of Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the major subject of this thread, I can speak from experience that the bottom line is all that matters. $22 per inmate, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year...or at least that was the going rate when I left.

That's why private facilities especially are full all of the time - they can't afford to be below capacity. And officers right now are doing so much overtime because of minimum staffing laws, the turnover rate is staggering. And trust me...officers don't get treated that much better than offenders.

Finland is civilized. The USA is not. When you are caught parking illegally in Finland, the fine is sent to your home via mail or electronically and is based upon a % of your income...billionaires [there aren't any, but....] would pay a fortune; a poor person almost nothing....but an equal share of what they have - equal pain and penalty. Finland and the other Scandinavian countries are based more on compassion and forgiveness - helping someone to live a better life. USA on retribution and sadism - with a religious overtone - and help is for those who don't need it....if you need it, it is not available!.....from a bank loan to welfare or medical care.

New Zealand inspired a lot of the stuff they have in Scandanavia nowadays and we decided in the mid 80's to go the US route and bingo.