Our Broken Incarceration System — Profiting from Prison Overcrowding and Corruption

The incarceration system in the United States is frequently described as broken, and for good reason. It is a sprawling, overcrowded, and often a corrupt network of jails, prisons, and rehabilitation programs that rather than serving justice or offering second chances, often perpetuates harm, inequality, and suffering. 
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What follows is a closer look at just how deeply flawed this system is, revealing a complex web of issues that impact millions of people every year. So let us dig deeper into how a place made for rehabiliation has turned into a powerhouse of profit.

A System at Capacity and Beyond

Almost 2 million people are locked up across the country in various facilities, state and federal prisons, local jails, immigration detention centers, and juvenile facilities. Many of these are stretched beyond their intended capacity. 
https://www.perplexity.ai/
For example, some state prisons operate at nearly 175% capacity. This extreme overcrowding leads to dangerous, violent conditions where inmates face increased risk of physical and sexual violence, and where basic human needs go unmet. High turnover rates only worsen overcrowding, creating a relentless cycle of deteriorating conditions.

How Money Drives Incarceration

Private prisons, which hold roughly 8% of state and federal inmates, reveal one of the darkest sides of the U.S. system. 
https://www.perplexity.ai/
These facilities are often operated by corporations driven more by profits than by the safety or rehabilitation of inmates. Contracts guarantee beds to these companies, incentivizing them to keep prisons full regardless of the crime rate or community needs. Lobbying efforts ensure these contracts remain lucrative, feeding a system where incarceration becomes a business rather than a tool for justice.
https://www.perplexity.ai/
Even the state run prisons are not using funds correctly. It seems all prisons are focused more on profit then they are on helping people find better ways of living. 

Violations Behind Bars

Corruption is rampant behind prison walls. Guards and officials have been documented accepting bribes to smuggle drugs, weapons, and other contraband into facilities. Some prisons have been found to underreport assaults or deaths to avoid scrutiny. 

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan appeals corruption conviction

Investigators found evidence of potential crimes by NH prison staff. They decided not to prosecute.

Contraband Investigation Leads to Seven Correctional Officer Arrests

In several notorious instances, inmates have been subjected to sexual exploitation by staff, as well as extended solitary confinement in conditions deemed “cruel and unusual.” The scourge of violence and inhumane treatment highlights a profound failure of oversight and respect for human rights within the system.

Breaking, Not Building, Lives

Despite being called “rehabilitation,” many prison programs fail to prepare inmates for successful re-entry into society. Recidivism rates remain alarmingly high, with roughly two-thirds of released prisoners returning within three years. 
https://www.perplexity.ai/
Rehabilitation programs are often underfunded or poorly designed, overshadowed by strict policies emphasizing punishment over reform. Many incarcerated individuals, especially those serving long sentences, receive little to no meaningful support, perpetuating cycles of incarceration and social marginalization.

A System Rooted in Inequality

The U.S. incarceration system disproportionately targets people of color, particularly Black and Hispanic men from low-income communities.
https://www.perplexity.ai/
 Racial disparities persist in sentencing, incarceration rates, and prison conditions. These inequalities are tightly linked to histories of systemic racism and economic marginalization, turning incarceration into a tool that further entrenches social and racial divides. 

Please take the time to do your own research. Our system is broken and I think the best thing we can do right now is learn why and come together to change things for our children.

Thanks for reading everyone. Stay safe and stay free. Prison and jail rewires your brain and activates fight or flight. I have done time and that time has messed me up for life. That fight or flight takes years to go away if it ever goes away. Prisons and Jails are not here to help or rehabilitate. They are here for one thing and one thing only. Profit.
Original Article on Medium