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1. So I know ppl expect me to make my usual points abt “privates!” and I sort of will, but there much here that deserves attention.
The financial harms that Warren IDs are real. The catch is that the public sector does them too.
The financial harms that Warren IDs are real. The catch is that the public sector does them too.
2. So Warren is right here: charging ppl for ankle monitors often consumes huge chunks of income, making reentry hard(er). But my understanding is the public parole does this too.
Focus on the WHAT, not the WHO.
Focus on the WHAT, not the WHO.
3. This is true too! But again: the public sector tears families apart too. NYS keeps its rural (public) prisons open while closing ones closer to the cities—phone calls, travel, etc., all more expensive for poor urban families.
The WHAT, not the WHO.
The WHAT, not the WHO.
4. And this one is def good. The exorbitant collect phone call fees private firms charge can be limited—at the state and local level—by the FCC. Obama *did* this. Trump reversed it. Warren could re-reverse, on her own, without Congress.
5. But—again—the real profit motive is the public sector, not the private. 67 cents of every dollar we spend on prisons—about $35 billion per year—goes to wages of public sector employees.
If we want to target the “profit motive,” THAT’S the one to target.
And we can!
If we want to target the “profit motive,” THAT’S the one to target.
And we can!
6. The ideas have to be a bit outside the box, but they exist.
Like: we can use fed funds to help rural communities shift away from prison-based economies.
vox.com/the-big-idea/2…
Like: we can use fed funds to help rural communities shift away from prison-based economies.
vox.com/the-big-idea/2…
7. Anyway, the basic numbers:
* Privates hold abt 8% of prisoners, publics 92%.
* The public sector wage bill is $35 billion, private revenue is $3B, and profits are $300M.
Privates are problematic, but we have to focus on the publics.
* Privates hold abt 8% of prisoners, publics 92%.
* The public sector wage bill is $35 billion, private revenue is $3B, and profits are $300M.
Privates are problematic, but we have to focus on the publics.
