Thursday, June 20, 2013

The US Prison System and Its Ties to the Economy - Part Five of Six

Political Ties

It is interesting to note the ties to the economy that all of this has had. In the 1970s, after the War on Drugs that was instituted by the Nixon administration, there was a huge boon in the prison industry and a recession that followed. In the 1980s, after Reagan's push to “Just Say No,” there was also a large boon whereby private prison systems gained by leaps and bounds. Again, the country fell into recession. In the very early 2000s, George W. Bush instituted new laws that made it easier for Americans to be wire tapped, held longer without being charged and found guilty of new crimes that had never before been on the books. Again, private prisons saw a huge boon and politicians gained in donations to campaign funds. In fact, it became more far reaching than ever with companies like Black Water, who became known as “Bush's Shadow Army” over seas. Again, the country fell into recession. Meanwhile, paid mercenaries were doing deeds on behalf of our government that we were not even being told about.

Each time we have gone through recessions, the middle and lower class grow smaller and a larger percentage of them is disenfranchised. With each recession, the people at the bottom have further to climb to get back on their feet and most have not ever fully recovered from one by the time another hits. With each recession, more people are imprisoned because crime rates go on the rise. Those who have nothing to lose will turn to crime in higher percentages, in order to attempt to feed their families and pay bills with no hope of work in sight. Crime always climbs when the economy is bad.


As more and more money goes into private hands, there is less to be distributed among the poor. This results in more people relying on government programs for housing, food and medical assistance. This money in the private sector is also controlling minimum wage laws that die-out before they can ever make it out of the House. When CEOs of prisons are earning in excess of $5 million dollars per year in salary and the average worker at Walmart is only bringing home $17k per year at $8 per hour, it is not impossible to see why the middle class suffers. Lobbyists ensure that minimum wages stay low, while lining their own pockets and those of your senators and representatives. Either way, the middle and lower class lose while the rich get richer and the poor keep going to jail.

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