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Pedro Rico
Perparim Gutaj
POLS 1100; section-003

Ending Private Prisons: A Call for Reform

Hey uncle Eric, its Braden I hope youre doing good, I cant wait to spend some time
with ya, Im five years old now, my mom is doing good. I love you.
To my son, Mr. Devon Hall. Dad loves you man, always, forever my brother. Wish you
were here, but, you are always here, in spirit, so keep your mind focus. Coming soon,
coming soon and were going to claim you, and were never going to give up
Hi, this is a shout out to Michael Dennett Austin, at red onion state prison this is your
Mom. Im calling to let you know, that you are a new Uncle!
Youre the man who touches my heart, youre there to listen and reassure me and to
protect me, and you are my love and my best friend.
Hi uncle Franky I really miss you, ah-um, this is Sara your niece. I just want you out of
prison and I want to see you. I dont even really know you. all I can do is hear you, on the
phone or something. . . I dont know what to really say.
. . . I cant wait until I-um be a grown-up, so you can come see me every day, I love
you.

These are just a small sample of the amount of calls that are made to a WMMT, a local radio
station that is based in Whitesburg, Kentucky. Which allows families and friends from across the
country to stay connected with those they love that have been imprisoned in the dozens of

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penitentiaries in Kentucky and Virginia by sending out audio messages via airwaves that
penetrate the concrete walls of a broken prison system. Every Monday night for ten years from
9-10pm the Whitesburg community radio station broadcasts an average of 50 messages from
listeners to their loved ones in a segment known now as, Calls from Home. Anyone who calls
during this hour knows that their message will be heard throughout the prisons, where inmates
share radios and MP3 players to listen in. You might be asking yourself, so why are family
members using the radio to get a hold of their loved ones? Well Sylvia Ryerson who answers
the archive messages at WMMT explains that, most of the people who are incarcerated in these
prisons, are from very far away, from eastern Kentucky and south-west Virginia where the
prisons are. And that the radio station has created this outlet that has made it possible for family
and friends to reach out, to the ones they love, whether it is the federal or state prisons. The
majority of the prisoners that are being held in Red Onion State prison are from across the
country which ultimately means that their love ones cannot afford or have the luxury to drive to
the prison. Furthermore, many of these inmates have limited access in making phone calls out
and on top of that the rates of making these phone calls are extremely high.
Back in 2003, the usual cost of making a phone call, out or in, was exactly Seventeen
dollars for every 15 mins. After a decade of complaints Federal Communications Commission
was forced to get involved when Martha Wright, a grandmother from Washington, D.C. Filed a
class action lawsuit accusing the phone company (Securus Technologies, Telmate and Global
Tel Link, the top 3 phone service providers for the prisons) of exorbitant and unconscionable
long-distance rates, which severely burden communication between inmates and their family
members and counsel. The FCC responded by approving tighter new caps on the cost of
making phone calls from jails and prisons even after implementing regulations on the top 3

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providers phone calls are still expensive, the cap has minimized the cost for inter-state calls,
however in-state calls havent changed and are still more expensive to make.
Now my friends, these are just one of many countless instances that privatized prisons violet the
basic human rights of these prisoners, by depriving them of the much needed contact with love
ones. Studies have already backed up the research, of regular human contact for prisoners have
great effects on their mental stability and reduces the recidivism rates. But, why should you or
any other individual care about whether or not prisoners can or cannot make phone calls to their
loved ones? Are they not to be blamed for their transgressions, isnt that the point of prison? The
loss of your right to claim access to the world and your autonomy? Or have we been looking at it
the wrong way for so long, and that weve become so fixed in our tradition of the system, I plan
on answering these questions and tackling the issues of mass incarceration. Then perhaps I can
sway society on a new way of thinking, a new form of rehabilitation and the removal of
privatized prisons for the greater good.
Well for some, the privatization of prison isnt a bad thing for society, many advocates for
privatization, claim that it has helped with government spending and that the private sector
delivers quality correctional services at a lower cost to the benefit of taxpayers this argument is
true for Adrian Moore the vice president of policy at Reason Foundation, a non-profit thinktank advancing free minds and free markets, who is in favor of privatized prisons. Moore claims
that, taxpayers demand that criminals be put in prison, and kept in longer. And he also claims
that, there seems to be no choice but to increase the capacity of the prison system. Moore
concernedly expresses that there is a popular pressure to cut government spending and that
finding funding for these prisons will be difficult. That the legislators face a lot of pressure to
hold the line on correction spending, and a fewer than half of all referendums to approve bond

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financing of new prisons are being approved by voters. Moore also adds that this had led
federal, state, and local officials to consider how the private sector can become involved in
corrections to lower costs while maintaining or even improving the quality of services and help
cope with the growing number of prisoners without busting the budget.
Moores seems to have a good argument defending privatization of prisons, however, his
reasons to support in relying on the private sector is far more than just cutting government cost
and reducing the cost for taxpayers, its for making a profit. Moores organization The Reason
Foundation is funded in part, by what are known as the Koch Family Foundation, and David
Koch serves as a Reason trustee. And to make matters even less democratic, Adrian Moore, is
an advisor to the American Legislative Exchange Council. In addition to that, Reason
Foundation representatives have also advised ALEC task forces on issues such as state budget
and health reform. And the biggest concern with ALEC is that it goes beyond lobbyists and
interest groups, through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wish-lists to benefit
their bottom line. Moores appeal to logos falls a bit short claiming that he is doing the
government a service by professing that the private sector can properly incarcerate individuals
and that it can provide just as good/better quality, living conditions for those imprisoned. Deep
down his motives are rooted by greed and his goal arent to rehabilitate these prisoners or fight to
help change policies in order to assist ex-offenders to integrate back into society.
To better understand the current state of the prison system we have to look back at a
policy that took place in June 18, 1971, The War on Drugs. President Richard Nixon declared
war on drugs. He proclaimed Americas public enemy number one in the United States is drug
abuse. In order to fight and defeat this enemy, it is necessary to wage a new, all-out offensive
(Sharp, 1994, p.1). Tom LoBianco a reporter for the CNN Politics and a member of the CNNs

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Reality Check Team, analyzing candidate statements in debates and on the trail. Reports that
one of Richard Nixons top advisers and a key figure in the Watergates scandal admits that the
war on drugs was a tool to targeted blacks, and hippies. In a 22-year-old interview recently
published in Harpers Magazine. John Ehrlichman a former Nixon Domestic policy chief
spoke to Dan Baum from Harpers that,
The Nixon campaign in 1968 . . . had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people,
you understand what Im saying? We knew we couldnt make it illegal to be either
against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana
and blacks with heroin. And then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those
communities, we could arrest their leaders. Raid their homes, break up their meetings,
and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about
the drugs? Of course we did.
The war on drugs was nothing more than a political assault design to help Nixon win, and keep,
the White House. And because of this politically ploy of the late 60s, the U.S. began to expand
the powers of law enforcement agencies around the country, generating by the 1970s an
unprecedented reliance on incarceration to treat its social, political, economic and mental health
problems. Which ultimately proliferated a prison boom which lead to overcrowding which
surpassed prison construction budgets, and politicians that had promised to build new prisons
could no long build them. By the 1980s fifteen years of massive and unprecedented growth
within the US prison system hit a snag it ran out of money. And because states ran out of
money they had to rely on taxpayers to pick up the tab in order to build a new prison.
Traditionally the state would put this issue to a vote, but eventually voters throughout the
country began to say no. and because of the majority refused to pick up the tab many turned to

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private investment, to venture capital, both to fund new prison projects and to run the prison
themselves for cost around $30 to $60 per bed, per day. Which gave rise to Tennessee
investors in 1984 who had friends in the legislature to recognize a business opportunity and
formed Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). And this is how it started, and what we
now know today as the for-profit, private prison industry.
To make matters worse the private sector has also created detention centers where they
house immigrants and the living conditions are cruel, inhumane, and degrading. Prisoners who
are stuck in overcrowded facilities are subjected to violence, sexual abuse, and other conditions
which pose grave risks to prisoner health and safety. Mistreatment of prisoners based on race,
sex, gender identity, or disability remains far too common. Not only are these prisons a breeding
ground for violence, but prison labor has been the largest exploits by corporations, Kelley David,
a journalist at the U.S. Uncut, explains that, insourcing, as prison labor is often called, is an
even cheaper alternative to outsourcing. Instead of sending labor over to China or Bangladesh,
manufacturers have chosen to forcibly employ the 2.4 million incarcerated people in the United
States. And that these workers on average, work 8 hours a day . . . and make between 0.23 and
$1.15 per hour. David also tells us that big businesses receive tax credits for employing these
inmates in excess of millions of dollars a year. On the other hand, supporters of cheap prison
labors advocate that it helps offset the high costs of incarceration, prepares inmates for realworld jobs and reduces recidivism in a system plagued by overcrowding (Nichols, 2011).
However, that is exactly what these jobs dont provide experience and preparation for real-world
jobs once they leave prison. Laurie Hazen a prisoner at the Massachusetts Correctional
Institution in Framingham: serving a sentence on the account of drug use, explains that, it was
pretty much slave labor, but there was nothing I could do about that. I needed stamps to write to

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my child. I needed hygiene products. On top of that, what this job didnt yield, was a wage
sufficient to support her son and accumulate some savings for post-prison life, or job training
that would help her pursue the goals she established when she was working in dish room of the
prison kitchen: for her to pursue her dream as a psychologist and one day open a domesticviolence shelter. Fortunately, Hazen was released out of prison after working six months, like
most prisoners she left with a criminal record, no meaningful job experience beyond what she
went in with, and not even enough savings to buy a suit for a job interview. Studies after studies
have shown that prisoners who gain professional skills while locked up, and those who earn a
decent wage for their work, are far less likely to end up back behind bars. Corey Adwar a writer
for Business Insider, explains that,
the report from the departments Bureau of Justice Statistics details recidivism rates of
404,638 state prisoners released in 30 states in 2005. More than a third of released
prisoners were again within six months of their release. That number rose to 56.7% by the
end of the first year, 67.8% within three years, and 76.6% within five years.
Corey also reports that Black offenders had the highest recidivism rate after five years
80.8% compared with 73.1% among whites and 75.3% among Hispanics. And many
times that those arrested for a new crime within five years are arrested for crimes that
originally landed them in prison. For example, 76.9% of drug offenders were sent
back to prison.
We have to start enforcing dramatic changes to our criminal justice system, we need to start
reducing the numbers of those coming into prisons, and lower the recidivism rate. An estimated
70 million people in the united states have a prior arrest or convection record, or nearly 1 in 3
adults. And racially biased criminal justice system and mass incarceration have severely

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impacted communities of color. (nelp.org) This has become a big issue when ex-offenders leave
prison to find a job or looking for a place to live, because they are obligated to disclose any
information of an arrest employers or landlords choose not to consider them based on prior
criminal record. One initiative to counter this would be to ban the box and ensuring that people
with convictions have an equal chance to work and find housing.
Jessica S. Henry an associate professor of Justice Studies wrote about several steps in
fixing the criminal justice system which I find crucial to the rehabilitation of prisoners and a
change in the way we perceive our penitentiaries. The number one step would have to be, for her
call on returning community policing. Henry advocates that if the police personally know the
folks they are tasked to serve, then they get a sense of who lives in the neighborhood. By having
the police on a regular shift in neighborhoods they can start to build trust, and the communities
they serve will have a positive experience and a new found perception of the police force.
Secondly we need to stop the use of solitary confinement in prisons, particularly for juveniles in
detention facilities. She reports that this method has been widely used to hold people, in
extreme isolation, sometimes for years or decades. And that this, inhumane method does more
harm than good, that people locked up in solitary often come out more psychologically and
physically damaged than when they went in. she also urges that violence in prisons need to be
reduced, by improving prison accountability and leadership.
Thirdly she supports an alternatives-to-arrest and -incarceration programs. That many
Americans end up being involved in the criminal justice system, one way or the other who
probably shouldnt have been arrested in the first place, and that once an arrest is made, a cycle
of incarceration begins that is often skewed against the poor and poor people of color. And that

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we need to support initiatives that offer alternatives to the justice system, such as after school
programs, mental health centers, and drug treatment options.
Henry understands that these programs will be costly in the short term, but a healthier
community is better - and safer - in the long run than an incarcerated one.
One way of allocating fund to these programs would be to abolish the death penalty, not only is
this practice inhumane and cruel, but has also been a tool which profligate a practice of eugenics.
That judges seem to care more about white victims, and that, black defendants and black
victims appear to matter the least. and moreover it is expensive and outdated. The cost of the
death penalty runs up to the millions and by divesting from this practice and investing it
elsewhere we can potentially lower the recidivism rate immensely: for example, the death
penalty reduces the resources available for crime prevention, mental health treatment, education
and rehabilitation, meaningful victims services, and drug treatment programs. Jessica has many
wonderful points, and I couldnt agree with her more, on her solution to fixing a broken criminal
justice system. We need to start restoring prisoners dignity, for Americas prisons are
ineffective and costly and havent been able to successfully integrate ex-offenders back to
society.
There is no question that we have a lot of work that needs to be done in our society, and
the biggest culprit that impedes on that work is capitalism which has been fueled by our
monetary system, that has allowed people to engage in profligate behaviors that does more harm
to our society than good. We as citizens, need to see the prison system for what it is: modern day
slavery, a slaughter house, an institution that creates better criminals, and no matter what angle
you look at it from, you will see that it is nothing more but a failed system that is racking up

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money for corporations and individuals; who seek their own personal goals and not for the
betterment of society.

Choosing to ignore the issue of mass incarceration, has only proliferated the inhumane
practices, that have dehumanized prisoners, from the rest of us. Furthermore, to those who
strongly advocate for the privatization of prison, as a means to the solution of the diagnosis of
mass incarceration, have only promoted more sickness and turmoil: by moving prisons to the
middle of nowhere, with little, to no communication, and by forcing love ones to pay for phone
calls that are slapped with high rate charges. Which consequently have left prisoners to feel,
hopeless in their isolation. Let us band together to put an end, to these for-profit prisons and to
bring about the end of Calls from Home. . .
Id like to give a shout out to my pops . . . we have four days of school left, looking
forward to it, my grades are up but we love and miss you, cant wait to see you. I mean, I
needed to see you in person, because I havent seen you in person yet. . .

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Work Cited
Ban the box (07-29-2016) Retrieved from
http://www.nelp.org/publication/ban-the-box-fair-chance-hiring-state-and-local-guide/
Death Penalty Cost (07-23-2016) Retrieved from
http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/issues/death-penalty/us-death-penalty-facts/death-penalty-cost
Private Prisons are back . . . (07-23-2016) Retrieved from
http://www.correctionsproject.com/corrections/pris_priv.htm
Reason Foundation (07-23-2016) Retrieved from
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Reason_Foundation
ACLU (07-23-2016) Retrieved from
https://www.aclu.org/issues/prisoners-rights/cruel-inhuman-and-degrading-conditions
Adwar, Corey Justice Department Report Reveals the Biggest Failure of Americas Prisons
BusinessInsider.com 4/22/2014 Web. 7/23/2016
Davidson, Kelley These 7 household names make a killing off of the prison-industrial complex
U.S.Uncut.com 8/30/2015 Web. 7/23/2016
Hackman, Rose Calls From Home: the radio show that connects inmates and their loved ones
Theguardian.com 3/23/2016 Web. 7/1/2016
Henry, S. Jessica Top 10 ways to fix the criminal justice system TheHuffingtonpost.com
2/21/2015 Web. 7/23/2016
LoBlanco, Tom Report: Aid says Nixons war on drugs targeted blacks, hippies CNN.com
3/24/2016 Web. 7/23/2016
Moyer, Justin After almost a decade, FCC has yet to rule on high cost of prison phone calls
Thewashingtonpost.com 12/2/2012 Web. 7/1/2016
Nichols, Russell Working Prisoners save taxpayers Money governing.com 5/2011
Web. 7/29/2016
Schwarzapfel Beth Moder-Day Slavery in Americas Prison Workforce prospect.org 5/28/2014

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Web. 7/29/2016
Schwartzapfel, Beth The FCC looks into the Prison Telephone Racket Themarshallproject.com
10/22/2015 Web. 7/1/2016
Young, Robin Kentucky Radio Links Prisoners to Loved Ones Wbur.org 1/08/2014
Web. 7/1/2016