The issue of private prisons in the United States has become a hot topic in debate. In 2019, the U.S. senator from Massachusetts named Senator Elizabeth Warren proposed to ban private prisons. For those who are curious about what people think about her proposal to ban such places, keep reading.
The Proposal of Elizabeth Warren to Ban Private Prisons
As mentioned before, the U.S senator from Massachusetts named Senator Elizabeth Warren called for a ban on private prisons, as well as detention centers, at federal and state level in 2019 because these places too often care for only profits rather than safety. Aside from that, the woman also promised to ban private contractors from charging inmates for routine services, including phone calls, bank transfers and healthcare. In addition, she also stated that she would take action on the practice of marking up prices for commissary items. In the statement, she said that there should be no place in America for profiting off putting more people behind bars or in detention.
The government has answered to overcrowding and swelling budgets with the private prison industry that costs multi billion dollars. However, they have been criticized by many because the operators are believed to often put profits above safety. Besides, these operators usually benefit from a criminal justice system that does not treat minorities equally.
The United States is named as the country with the largest private prison population in the world. According to U.S. Bureau of Justice statistics, there are about 9% of all prisoners in the United States placed in private prisons. 19% of them are federal prisoners. Geo Group Inc. is the name of the largest for-profit corrections company. This one is located in Boca Raton, Florida. In the second place, there is CoreCivic Inc., a company that is based in Nashville.
According to Warren, from 2000 to 2016, the private prison population multiplied quickly compared to prison population in general. As shown in federal data, about 75% of all immigrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are also placed in private prisons.
The senator pledged to cut ties with private operators at the federal level. Apart from that, she also demanded both state and local governments to follow her step unless they are okay with losing federal funding.
What People Think About Senator Elizabeth Warren Proposing to Ban Private Prisons
On a platform called Quora, there is a thread where someone asked a question “What do you think of Elizabeth Warren proposing to ban private prisons?” This query attracted a lot of responses. The opinions on the topic vary. For those who are curious about the responses, check out the summary below:
- Many users on Quora support the proposal of Senator Elizabeth Warren to ban private prisons. They highlight the ethical concerns related to private prisons. They think that private prisons focus on earning profit rather than rehabilitating these detainees. Besides, there is a chance of the detainees or inmates to be mistreated. Those who like the idea of banning the private prisons think that the government should be the one who administers justice and rehabilitates offenders instead of private companies that only care about gaining profit.
- There is a user that expresses his concerns about private prisons prioritizing profits over the well-being of inmates. They think that since the private prisons need to fill prison beds to earn money, they will focus more on incarceration than on rehabilitating the offenders. According to these individuals, it can worsen the criminal justice system because everything will be about gaining profit.
- While some users on Quora support Warren’s proposal, some others disagree. They think some people are at risk of losing their jobs if the private prisons were banned. Aside from that, these critics are also concerned about the cost-effectiveness of private prisons compared to facilities run by the government. Plus, they think there might be some capacity issues that arise if these places were abolished.
- There is a user that agrees to ban private prisons to get rid of bribery. That user says that in order to keep the private prisons full to get as much profit as possible, the owners of the prisons bribe judges. There are people who have gone to jail when in fact they should not have gone. It is such a shame when these people do dirty things just to put the innocents in prison for profit.
- A few Quora users think that the proposal to ban private prisons can change the criminal justice system in the United States. They are sure that this act can make the system focusing more towards rehabilitation, making it possible for the recidivism rates to be reduced.
- Some Quora respondents highlight the complexity of the issue and think that banning private prisons is not enough to fix the issues related to the criminal justice system. They demand comprehensive criminal justice reform that includes sentencing reform, reentry programs, and addressing racial gap in the system.
Bottom Line
In conclusion, the proposal proposed by Senator Elizabeth Warren to ban private prisons has earned a lot of opinions and perspectives. The evidence can be found on a Quora discussion. From the debate, it can be concluded that the U.S. criminal justice system is complex because it is related to ethical concerns, economic considerations, and the wider goals of rehabilitation and justice.
As this issue is still talked about by many, it is important for both policymakers and the public to be involved in discussions about the role of private prisons in the criminal justice system. Besides, everyone should also think of the impact if they were eliminated.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
