Private prisons are scary, and recall chattel slavery. But only 8% of US prisoners are in private prisons.

An even bigger issue: the actions of private companies who get contracts to sell services within public prisons. Talk about a distorted market.

The principal agent problem is terrifying here: the consumer (incarcerated) isn't the customer (the state) -- in fact, the consumer and the customer have an actively antagonistic relationship.

Meanwhile, the seller wants to optimize profits, so they minimize costs and price gouge, with no recourse, since they have a monopoly.

This is how you end up with ¢37 "email stamps"

You can find out rates for emails and calls across prisons: https://www.jpay.com/pavail.aspx 

I've also learned that @Aramark, which does everything from janitor uniforms to cafeteria food, somehow manages to sell unusually disgusting food to prisons: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/12/prison-food-sickness-america/549179/

Letting commercial interests intersect with the carceral system is an Econ 101 in how to ensure the worst possible market dynamics, and inhumane outcomes... on our dime.

They don't just profit off taxpayer $$ under these conditions. They profiteer and grift.

PS - 70% of immigration detention facilities are private. So you take the same system, with even less accountability. Yikes. The big ones are @Geogroup and @Corecivic. Divest.

Have a nice day.

Of course, healthcare services are as well. What an outrage, the whole thing. https://twitter.com/nikillinit/status/1281709141371891721?s=21 https://twitter.com/nikillinit/status/1281709141371891721