Across the United States, hundreds of jails have eliminated in-person family visits over the last decade. Why has this happened? The answer highlights a profound flaw in how decisions too often get made in our legal system: for-profit jail telecom companies realized that they could earn more profit from phone and video calls if jails eliminated free in-person visits for families. So the companies offered sheriffs and county jails across the country a deal: if you eliminate family visits, we’ll give you a cut of the increased profits from the larger number of calls. This led to a wave across the country, as local jails sought to supplement their budgets with hundreds of millions of dollars in cash from some of the poorest families in our society.

  • TheTimeKnife@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    7 months ago

    All these profit farming scams for prisons should be criminal conduct. It’s sickening how little the public cares about systemic abuse of prisoners.

    • in4aPenny@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      7 months ago

      Sickening but not suprising, considering the vast majority still think Captialism is the best method and profit farming is considered “clever business”.