Private Prisons DON'T Cause Overcrowded Prisons

On this episode of Common Sense Soapbox, the crew visits Ron in prison. Ron blabbers about the profit motive of private prisons and their runaway exploitation. Seamus calmly explains that private prisons are hardly the main cause of America’s mass incarceration issues.
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CREDITS:
Written by Sean W. Malone, Seamus Coughlin, and Lou Perez
Animated by Seamus Coughlin
Produced & Edited by Sean W. Malone
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LINKS:
www.sentencing...
fee.org/articl...
fee.org/articl...
theintercept.c...
theintercept.c...
reason.com/201...

[@khukri_wielderxxx1962]

"mostly peaceful prison riot" The best sentence I've heard all day :)

[@I_Hate_YouTube.]

It's ron's catchphrase

[@NTJedi]

The USA has the most prisoners because the USA is the most friendly towards criminals. Change the laws so thieves with "ongoing" history of stealing have a hand chopped off and repeat offenders have a second hand chopped off. Crimes of theft will almost vanish. Change the laws so rapists with "ongoing" history of sex crimes have their privates chopped off. The sex crimes will almost vanish. Change the laws so murderers with "ongoing" history of killing multiple people are placed onto an island with other murderers surrounded by sharks and satellite monitoring. Change the laws so criminals with "ongoing" history of graffiti and vandalism are placed into prison work and unable to leave until they're paid back the damage they caused.

[@siral2000]

Must have falsely incarcerated BLM "protesters".

[@bbkr7910]

Even FDR had enough common sense to know that public sector unions would lead to bad things. Police unions are not immune from this fact.

[@ReformedSauron]

The fact that people who are paid with tax dollars can form a union boggles my mind. They are supposed to work for us but tend to get tyrannical overtime pretty much guaranteed funds. God forbid there is an IRS union or an FBI union... 🤮

[@josephbrands6303]

Yeah he just did those internment camps instead!

[@kerwinbrown4180]

They create a conflict of interest. It doesn't care as unions have sold out to the Democrat sector of USA politics and are just used to control their members while their administrators party. They still fight to keep their power.

[@williaminnes6635]

The textbook I last read argued that in a competitive labour market, a union would increase wages and decrease hours, whereas at the other end of the spectrum, in an oligopsonistic labour market, a union would increase wages and hours. In the private sector, of course, this increase in wages and hours is paid for out of the unfair profits which companies make above what they would if they actually had to compete by offering higher wages. In the public sector, however, the increase in wages and hours is paid for by some combination of an increase in the price level faced by all consumers, an increase in the debt owed by future taxpayers, or an increase in the tax rate paid by current taxpayers. This is sort of moot, of course, since the public sector unions are the ones that aren't going anywhere, due to a certain longstanding dysfunction of politics.

[@NotARussianDisinfoBot]

​@@josephbrands6303 Yep. Even a president so progressive that he condoned camps was STILL smart enough to not condone public sector unions. Wild, isn't it?

[@thefanwithoutaface8105]

Really love how Seamus manages to present a lot of information but unlike a lot of other people, mainly news media, he doesn't act like a smug asshole about it. He speaks without any arrogance and just matter of factly but makes it clear he's willing to listen to another perspective. I wish more presenters did that

[@trinketsphinx3212]

It's amazing what a little humility can accomplish. And it's beautiful to see.

[@Matt-uk7zq]

Bc journos and politicians believe themselves to be saviors and better than you, Seamus is just a guy

[@sheilaolfieway1885]

With the bloated ego most presenters have, Fat chance..

[@user-lr8ow2jg4e]

I know. He's doesn't speak like he's trying to force the correct belief on you, but rather clear things up to make thing better.

[@thomaspaull2594]

@@user-lr8ow2jg4e He was somewhat different at the conclusion of "Bob to the Future".

[@Fractured_Unity]

Glad to see both sides can agree that public sector unions don’t have a place in our society, especially in the criminal justice system.

[@Monsuco]

My biggest problem with the criminal justice system is the plea bargaining process & the so-called trial penalty. A lot of our laws give the option for ridiculously harsh sentences but prosecutors will usually offer a much lighter sentence if you agree to not even contest what you're accused of & plead guilty to a lesser charge. A suspect will often be told they can either plead guilty & get 3 years or contest the charges in a trial & potentially face 15 years if they lose. This was NEVER what our founders envisioned when they set up our nation's court system. This system coerces people into confessing to crimes they didn't commit out of fear of getting a far harsher sentence. At the same time it also sometimes allows for prosecutors to let people off far too easily for crimes that shouldn't be pled down. Our nation's founders envisioned a criminal justice system in which the accused & the prosecutor would both present their evidence & a jury of fellow citizens would decide if there was proof beyond reasonable doubt to convict.

[@TheAstyanii]

To be fair, most police are sick of seeing "man arrested 400 times in the last ten years murders woman." Turning our courts into a revolving door is what allows these things to happen, so it's fairly easy for the police to agree on wanting sentences to stick. If that causes overpopulation of prisons, then clearly prison time isn't enough of a deterrent.

[@jefferydraper4019]

Prisons are no longer feared by inmates. When theres no fear of punishment...whats to fear in committing the crime???

[@fivebrosstopmos]

And if we actually put them to work, we could easily catch up to China in terms of cheap production.

[@palaceofwisdom9448]

Women get no or far less time for the same crimes as men, and the police don't even mention it. It will be interesting to see whether that changes as the proportion of violent female criminals keeps rising.

[@theBear89451]

@@jefferydraper4019 It is not "fear of punishment" that makes long sentences reduce crime. The reason long sentences reduce crime is because criminals are unable to commit crimes while in prison. There was a survey of arrested criminals. The result is that most how no idea what the penal for their crime even was. You are assuming a level of logic in criminals, which they are not capable of.

[@afrikasmith1049]

This is exactly why rehabilitation for those with less serious crimes, the death penalty for dangerous and unremorseful people and having guards held accountable for mistreatment of prisoners is important.

[@corrupt1user]

I don't care if private prisons are the cause of mass incarceration, I just believe that the CORE duties of government (military and police) should not be outsourced, even if the rest of the government should be cut back.

[@ReformedSauron]

This

[@chellenge6447]

This

[@classicalextremism]

First up: The original plan was for the people to be the military. Not the government. Thats one reason we have 2A - we are meant to have weapons of war. That way the people can use them against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Second: the actual police action, the tribunal, and the sentencing, are all handled by the government. That does not change. So all the functions you actually "care" about are still in government hands. Grats, you got what you wanted already.

[@TheObsesedAnimeFreaks]

... prisons aren't the "core duty" of government nor is police, rule standardization the exclusive duty of government. it doesn't matter who enforces the rules, public or private, what matters is that the rules that are being enforced are the same regardless of who enforces them. even the courts at the end of the day could be outsourced as long as some agreement on what the rules are stands consistent. something that we have issues with even with mostly public court systems. IRL most things the government does could be privatized, the only aspect that can't really be privatized is foreign policy and rule making. but this is a limitation of how large a country gets specifically not really a limitation of what humanity is designed to work like. If we actually look at human psychology the way humanity is supposed to operate is more of a anarchic system with a leadership by elders, civilization foobars this concept and creates governments that only seek to control people.

[@corrupt1user]

@@classicalextremism Speed cameras are operated by Serco Corp. It's not an officer, but a Serco employee who determines if you are guilty.

[@ChronoSquare]

I find it hilarious and wholesome how Florida Man is basically a part of the family/cast by now.

[@grovercleavland2698]

I just realized something. Ron’s imprisonment presents a unique opportunity to address a serious issue that often gets ignored: Absent fathers. You guys should definitely do a video on the negative impact that absent fathers have on society.

[@xX_Pokeman_Xx]

Yeah, but that's outside of the realm of economics, which as far as I can tell with CSS, that's Sean's focus.

[@seansingh8862]

​@@xX_Pokeman_Xx incorrect. The government incentivises single parenting through its welfare programs so we get more single parents and it incentivises broken homes through its family law system.

[@micahstoodley2488]

Controlled for socioeconomic circumstance an absent father actually has a negligible effect on children.

[@grovercleavland2698]

@@micahstoodley2488 I’m not so certain about that.

[@seansingh8862]

@@micahstoodley2488 Sounds like bro-science to me.

[@MrX3rt]

These cartoons are always such a delight. I can’t wait for the next one!

[@IchNachtLiebe]

The system does suck but its usually for the opposite reasons that the people who run the system tell you on TV

[@marvalice3455]

They are in the systems pockets. They couldn't tell you what's really wrong even if the wanted to

[@sqocks8254]

I'm don't know much about this subject in particular, but it's nice to see the story continue.

[@clarkside4493]

Me, a DND player: I just can't escape hearing about the Pinkertons!

[@FishyFishaz]

Another great video Seamus.

[@fearthehoneybadger]

Minority Report and Demolition Man give a great idea for a prison system.

[@century2298]

Future Crimes Division will be calling on you soon.

[@EliSkylander]

Uh, in both of those, the idea turned into a nightmare abused by its designers and overseers, leading to the chaotic overthrow of their society.

[@fearthehoneybadger]

​@@EliSkylander The prisons weren't the problem. It was corrupt leaders that screwed the system up. The prisons, themselves, were efficient and didn't require many guards or infrastructure.

[@PyrusCreed]

Wh, how about we go with the Judge Dredd system of criminal justice?

[@Tank50us]

@@PyrusCreed Yeah I can see that going over well... *random dude doing a ball-and-cup game* "You are guilty of illegal street gambling" *blam blam blam* Normally I'd agree, that violent thugs should be dealt with accordingly... but if I still like the idea of such a thug getting a trial by jury over one person getting to decide your guilt, and sentence in one shot.

[@thatasmaniandevil4390]

After working at one of the privately owned government run prisons in Louisiana and knowing the contract details between the owning company and local law enforcement covering how many inmates must be admitted each month or they aren't allowed to make use of the facility.

[@VanDaRifleman]

We can eliminate prisons by reintroducing judicial corporal punishment & capital punishment.

[@savagetv6460]

The left will cry about it inhumane

[@robertbeisert3315]

I argue that both are inherently merciful, both to the sentenced and the innocents who suffered at their hands. One flogging now, or months of jail conditions and the beatings that come? Decades worrying about revenge, appeals, and sentence reductions, while the taxpayer subsidizes keeping the culprit alive and healthy, or swift euthanasia?

[@ReformedSauron]

I'm going to leave my aversion to capital punishment out and say this... Most people there are not even there for crimes that would be worthy of a death sentence.

[@AtarahDerek]

And restitution. Ancient Israel functioned just fine without prisons, instead using a system of restitution, corporal punishment and capital punishment. They had jail cells to hold defendants until their trial for a capital offense, and if they were convicted, they didn't go back to that cell. Lesser crimes were punished with either a flogging (or the eye-for-eye rule) or with indentured servitude to the victim. They also had a mandatory reporting system. If a victim of a violent crime failed to immediately report it, and the criminal then inflicted the same violence on another victim, the first victim could be charged with facilitating further crimes.

[@clogs4956]

@@AtarahDerek in Dark Ages Ireland, those who were found guilty of crimes were bound by Brehon law to answer to those they had wronged or, in the case of murder. the bereaved family. Fines were the norm and taking the perpetrator into servitude pending payment of fines or in place of fines, but captial punishment could be invoked if fines went unpaid. Even in this latter case, though, the family wanting to exact terminal justice had to abide by Brehon law to avoid becoming murderers themselves. It was an incredibly clever system for a smaller population, but not one we could run today.

[@kerwinbrown4180]

The issue with private prisons is corporatism where "private" organizations serve as agents for the government while both cronies make money of the situation. The courts would have to be either deceived or complicit as would law enforcement and others. It was said to have occurred in some segregated states a number of decades ago.

[@segevstormlord3713]

The issue of "over"incarceration is always a sticky one. We have way too many laws, making everyone (probably) a criminal many times over. Most of us just don't know what we're guilty of, but give a determined prosecutor enough investigators, and he'll find something. Personally, I think the war on drugs is better than the legalization that is being pushed for. I am unsure if there truly is this problem of "totally innocent kids" being thrown into prison for decades and becoming hardened criminals by necessity because they "smoked a joint once," or whatever the narrative is. I am sure I'm over-exaggerating it to one side or another, too. But we do have major problems with UNDER-prosecution of serious crimes, particularly from Soros-funded DAs doing things like de facto legalizing shoplifting and selectively enforcing assault and battery cases only against people who defend themselves against Antifa and the like. (Antifa et al get no prosecution, while those who defend themselves do.) There's also the problem of police who, for some reason, get rewarded either directly or through indirect social clout for numbers of arrests, and will thus do things like plant evidence, or change their charges during traffic stops if somebody isn't showing themselves to be "drunk enough" to be charged. Traffic stops seem to be a major problem for this kind of thing, but I'm sure there are other cases and instances. Police who pull people over often seem _determined_ to find something to charge the person with, even if there's nothing. This isn't always the case, mind; I've had police pull me over and go so far as to cover up the expiration date on my insurance card and point to the issue date in order to claim I was driving with expired insurance, but I've also had police pull me over for legitimately having a tail light out, and let me go with a warning, even when it was the second time that night (I told the officer that I had already been informed, and was going to take care of it when I got home, but hadn't had a chance to get home to do it yet; this was the truth and in no way me trying to finagle anything, I just got pulled over twice on the same night for it, while on my way home!). So sometimes they're perfectly reasonable even when they had a legitimate reason to pull you over (but you weren't posing a danger or being reckless), and other times they're just fishing for anything, no matter how spurious. I don't know how to recommend changing incentive structures to make that second problem better, either. But I do know that we have a skewed justice problem where there is both over- and under-prosecution, and we need to figure out how to fix both.

[@davidcooke8005]

The answer lies in the concept of 'Justal'. A new legal concept for the 21st century. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYGXqZeVjN6Eb68

[@whoiam5838]

I've wondered about how to change that incentive structure too. Receiving a bonus for a drop in crime might work with trying to catch the type of crime that is reported (incentivizing police to focus on things like murder and robbery) but also incentivizing them to try to report lower numbers of crime and avoid looking for things like actual reckless driving. It might also push police away from moving to work where they are needed most. Attaching penalties for failed convictions might reduce the incentive for these type of looking for a crime they can charge behaviors, but it also I'm sure will have other unintended consequences, and ignores the pressure that the police would then bring against judges and defenders.

[@johnshaw6702]

A war on drug's is understandable, but which ones makes a difference. All the legitimate studies that were made on the affects of marijuana showed that it was less detrimental and dangerous than alcohol. The states at the time it was originally criminalize didn't care about it until the federal government started a blanket misinformation campaign to change their minds. Nixon even had a study done, which actually confirmed the earlier studies, but decided to ignore it and double down on the war. I keep forgetting the country that actually has a system that works. Instead of putting users in prison, they put them in rehabilitation programs. But the suppliers/dealers are treated very harshly. In other words, addicts are not treated as criminals, but the suppliers are treated like murders. There have been issues with the criminal system since long before any of us were born, but the unwillingness to improve it has also been a problem. The was one case of strong armed robber (no weapon) that was still in prison after 35 years, while he was seeing murders coming in and being released after a few years.

[@segevstormlord3713]

@@johnshaw6702 Unfortunately, the criteria I have seen people who make this argument apply to determine "legitimacy" of studies is, "does it agree with my preferred position?" The trouble is that what anecdotal evidence I have seen shows that habitual marijuana use seems to lead to ... well, potheads. Even when they're NOT high, their judgment seems impaired, etc. And while I know the counterargument is "nuh-uh, that doesn't happen; it's just a scare tactic," there's been no counterproposal to the cases where people high on pot do flip out into rages. Finally, all "legalization" measures so far are very clearly not making any effort to regularize the drug. You can't get definite counts of the actual chemical in a given mass of whatever you're buying - I know people who've tried because they wanted to use it specifically in a medical fashion and did NOT want to "medicate until it felt right." They wanted to know how much they were taking, and that information is simply not available because it isn't required to be and you can get different amounts from different batches even at the same dispensary. I'm not even in favor of using it that way, necessarily, without more rigorous studies than we get from either side. It does seem to lead to bigger problems in places where it has been legalized, which is why I ultimately oppose legalizing it. I do not oppose reconsidering our sentencing guidelines. Especially with the compounding problem of corrupt cops planting evidence because for some reason that is rewarded. >_< I support the police, in general, so it pains me doubly when cops are corrupt and lend fuel to the flames of Antifa.

[@emberfist8347]

The innocent kids there for smoking a joint spend less than a year in prison. And most of them were able plea down their more serious charges.

[@ChuckleDuck]

Goodness! A conservative with a MODERATE and reasonable take on American incarceration? Willing to admit there might actually be a problem or two and that, like other systems of government that conservatives are quick to criticize, there actually just MIGHT be a flaw or two (but it's not necessarily every flaw the Left tries to latch on to)? I'd never thought I'd see the day. Excellent video.

[@irok1]

Amazing what happens when we listen

[@dustinvance243]

He's not a conservative, he's Libertarian. Granted he doesn't really go after conservatives and right wingers much, but that's mostly because liberals and left wingers tend to make themselves bigger targets.

[@ChillstoneBlakeBlast]

​@@dustinvance243Back when Seamus started< He used to target Conservatives way more. In this channel, It's more moderate, but they are not wrong

[@TheObsesedAnimeFreaks]

@@dustinvance243 he's not a libertarian per say, he's far more conservative then anything else. HOWEVER he does work for FEE and well uh.... they are very much a libertarian think tank.

[@ReformedSauron]

​​@@dustinvance243 maybe, conservatives and libertarians are at their core inherently right wing (they both are motivated towards decentralization by principal, whereas the left is motivated towards more centralization). Conservatives will always have more in common with libertarians, than libertarians will with the left on that basis alone.

[@davidcooke8005]

"We didn't make war on drugs. We made war on drug users" -King County Head Prosecutor Dan Satterberg Fun fact: slavery was never fully abolished in the US. All they need to do is convict you of a 'crime', and they can put you back in chains. Go read the 13th Amendment, then tell me if I'm wrong.

[@travisowens8905]

a thing that most prisoners have in common, especially males, is fatherless upbringing. if you remove the earliest form of authority chances are you won’t respect other harsher ones later.

[@tikki2340]

To be fair, it also probably has a lot to do with the fact that single parent households have less income, and poorer people are more likely to be incarcerated for crimes because they can’t afford better legal defense (that and cops are way more likely to patrol low income areas looking for crime than middle class and above)

[@Monsuco]

​@@tikki2340Marriage IS the best antipoverty program in existence but even when you adjust for childhood household income, there's still all sorts of differences in life outcomes between kids raised with the father versus kids raised without a father.

[@Tank50us]

@@tikki2340 That and poorer people struggling to pay for things are more likely to commit crimes out of desperation than anyone else. It's not an excuse obviously, but I will agree that the government should offer better solutions. One that I champion is the idea that a troubled youth could be told by a judge that he/she could go to prison for 8yrs, and have their life forever screwed up, or, talk to one of the six folks in nice uniforms about a real 8yr program proven to work. They have a choice of which branch they go to, and no one in their units will know about their criminal past unless they say something about it. They'll only be restricted in their off-duty activities (basically, not allowed off base except for official capacity), and at the end of those 8yrs, if they kept their nose clean, their record is wiped clean as if the crime never happened. And before anyone thinks that this would create penal units... they'd still be allowed a choice of MOS with few exceptions (basically nothing to do with classified work). So in the end, I imagine most of those kids that take this option going in, becoming mechanics, ordies, logistics, etc. Then if they decide to leave at the end of their 8yrs, they go into the private sector making middle-class level salaries. And... this wouldn't be available for people who committed serious offenses. Rape, Murder, etc... those with crimes like that don't get the option. Those with more minor crimes, who can still be saved, get the option.

[@bobbob-zc1nx]

​@Tikki no, it's mostly psychological. Almost all those criminals were young men. Young men want the same things as most men, power, glory, women, purpose, money, male validation ect..... Well mommas to weak to control them. That leaves their peers, who they want to impress, and they're around all day. They have no experience in life and have expensive desires. But this group has a physical advantage over the rest of the population and nothing to loose. We all know high risk= $ Success and money in a group = glory and women. This is where dad's come in, they have both the physical ability to enforce boundaries longer than women but also know how men think and the young men can trust that the dad actually has this knowledge. The guidance to a successful life alone keeps them from crime. Dad's keep their kids from usury of the criminal men, who trick the youth too. Children of single moms are more likely to suffer abuse, and molestation too, which warps youths minds. SO STOP BLAMING POVERTY, GIVING PEOPLE MORE MONEY MAKES THE PROBLEMS WORSE. BECAUSE WOMEN BECOME SINGLE MOMS BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT PAYS HER BILLS. YOU MUST GIVE MEN EQUAL CUSTODY OF THEIR KIDS, EVEN IF BY FORCE!!!!! STOP GIVING PEOPLE MONEY FOR THEIR BAD DECISIONS

[@Tank50us]

@@bobbob-zc1nx Thus my solution. In the absence of a father, a Drill Sgt can fix many of those issues. Step out of line? You and your peers are on your face until the DS says stop. Do well? You get a proper reward. And I think we can say that a few months with a DS/DI and 8yrs in the armed forces having a purpose to fill is far better than 8yrs in a prison.

[@marvalice3455]

I mean, they could. But they alone don't. And the problem I'm the USA is mostly moral and administrative. Which, boils down to the same thing, because bad administration is also a moral problem

[@louisianahighball4705]

I like that Florida man has become a main character😂

[@teebob21]

"Obviously I'm only here because of the prison-industrial complex....and totally not because I was breaking the law." -- Every criminal/inmate ever

[@JM-mh1pp]

Everyone is breaking a law. We have such a byzantine system of laws that if you gave me determined prosecutor with a good team... everything is possible. In a country with too many laws everyone is a criminal

[@teebob21]

@@JM-mh1pp While that may be true, most offenses committed unwittingly are civil offenses, not criminal ones. If we accept the fact that improper convictions by a jury exist, no one ends up in prison by accident.

[@PureGel]

And who do you think lobbied to make corrupt laws?

[@PureGel]

@@teebob21 "no one ends up in prison by accident." So a innocent person has never been arrested before?

[@xanthippus9079]

So many people are put in prison for harmless activities. Alimony/child support debt, tax evasion, selling non-approved drugs, owning weapons, usury, gambling, being fooled by a glowie online and running over rioters should never get anyone arrested in a decent society.

[@marvalice3455]

All of those are actively breaking our society. The fact that you don't care about them doesn't make them harmless. In the same way that leftist not caring about censorship doesn't make that harmless

[@knottheory79220]

I've done prison audits. We do need private prisons, they are used to mitigate situations that would otherwise be very expensive or untenable. That's not to say there aren't tons of problems with prisons.

[@teebob21]

Most of the problems start with the prisoners. Perhaps they should not have broken the law.

[@kamerondonaldson5976]

no matter who is in charge, be they business or government, too many rules and regulations turn everyone into violent criminals.

[@lostboy8084]

What I found stupid is that they charge people money after they get released for being locked up. Now I don't mean court impose fines as part of the punishment but it is saying we are keeping you here against your will because of the crime you committed and charging you for our services of keeping you locked up. It's basically saying we are forcing you to accept our fees for services that you never agreed upon. Hopefully explained it well

[@supernerd8067]

Next arc of Common Sense Soapbox: "Ron on the Run"

[@theblueslimeboi]

Nice, more common sense

[@pipkinrahl7264]

Private prisons as well as funding based upon prison population cause a prisoner culture, kickbacks for incarnation and corruption.

[@pattonramming1988]

One problem not addressed in this video is the rising number of violent repeat offenders

[@jefferydraper4019]

And because prison is no longer a place to be feared, sentences are not seen as punishment but rather vacations to repeat offenders. Especially in minimum security prisons.

[@emberfist8347]

That has to do with soft on crime prosecutors and cashless bail that get you released the same day as you are arrested.

[@corrupt1user]

The police lobby for prison sentences for drugs because it makes their job so much simpler if they have an excuse to toss people in jail. NO ONE has ever gone to jail for weed; that was just the only charge that would stick in an unrelated investigation. It's a problem, because while most cases are "we think this guy has been robbing homes but can only find weed", it's still possible for "this guy is the boyfriend of the chief's mistress, but we 'found' weed at his place"

[@chellenge6447]

I had to reread this like 3 times lmao

[@SymmetricalDocking]

Your post sounds insane but the data matches. No one is in prison for possession of weed as their primary offense.

[@corrupt1user]

@@chellenge6447 Was it that incoherent? I can edit for clarity if need be, just let me know which part.

[@Stuff857]

​@@corrupt1user I sometimes write with that button below the delete button. Like this. I personally had no trouble reading your post.

[@jacquelineking5783]

The AL Capone strategy, we can't get him on all the crime boss shit but we can get him on tax shit. Honestly I can never understand why people think it is just mostly harmless potheads getting unfairly reamed by the system and not more you are thug we know you are doing bad shit we just can't prove it so you are arrested for the pot. Now that is definitely a violation of the spirit of the law but it is a bit more complicated than drugs bad we don't like you doing it.

[@105rogue]

Absolutely love your stuff man! Keep it up!

[@travelsizedlions]

If he could whittle a lobbyist out of a bar of soap, I'd be legitimately impressed.

[@igkslife]

Florida man's gator was stuffed full of toilet paper. That was fing funny!

[@omstout]

And here i thought being a criminal was the reason for people being in prison...

[@williamoverton7775]

it's municipal jails being empty while county jails run at fiveX capacity.

[@peter.p.]

I love how police union’s lobbying for heavy jail sentences caused prison to become epicenter for creation of more criminal by inmates are learning drugs or involved in much serious criminal schemes in prison then those caused massive increase of criminals in our society as result. Which directly caused police officers’ casualties in the field. 💀💀💀

[@mikemcclune1440]

Florida Man 2024 😂 I'd vote for him 🤣

[@qwefg3]

Main issue is the basic age old one... There was a working system at one point, but somewhere along the way we messed it up by trying to poorly optimize it. Public prisons sound bad, but you do need a place to put in the dangerous criminals. Private prisoners get more bad press mostly due to their natures and the fact most of their criminals tend to be rich criminals. Aka... The joke about a prisoner getting released early due to inhumane treatment of having a four star chief instead of a five star chief. Public prisons have a ton of problems caused and made not even related to private prisons and the tax burden they cause... Just look at the rounding ethic debate and cost of the death penalty where a serial killer who actively murdered people and was caught in the middle of murdering (or worse) to people can sit and be debated if they should or should not be killed and the great lengths made to ensure their deaths are humane. Just the bills alone to killing a man in a clear cut case costs a tone of money... Verse say... A rope for hanging or a bullet for a firing squad. At some point we forgot the difference in sorting low case crime with every other crime that doesn't end maxim security jails. Maybe we will figure out a new system... But we could mess that one up just as badly. After all there was a point in time the work program had criminals forced to build roads and walls for free as they had basic civil liberties and could do harder tasks to shorten their years of labor period. Sounds great right? Sadly some knuckle head thought times for prisoners should be increased, you could pay money to avoid labor time... Oh and labors shouldn't be able to leave and maybe if they died then their family or children should also have to serve time. Sounds like a certain S word, but not sure if KZbin allows the word these days.

[@tetraxis3011]

By 2S word" you mean Socialism?

[@thecookiemeister5374]

the problem is, the "hangman", used in a general sense, always takes some psychological damage. For regular people, killing people takes a massive tole on their mental health and can drive them to insanity, ironically creating another potential killer. Now you may think "Oh, well firing squads don't suffer from that problem because nobody can know for sure if they fired they bullet!" but that's actually been shown to be even worse, because when a firing squad was used EVERYONE thought they fired the shot, and so the mental issues multiplied.

[@bobbob-zc1nx]

​@@thecookiemeister5374 1 get volunteers 2 Oh well, if the cost of removing evil is slight, (psychological damage)then we just gotta eat it. Just trade them out regularly

[@mcarrowtime7095]

@@thecookiemeister5374 there are ways you could lessen that by having a semi-autonomous system.

[@Hurricanelive]

I think we need to adopt the iso cube system.

[@supanerdreviews4056]

There’s several things wrong with prison system and some of those issues are the incentives or penalties when some prisons don’t meet their minimum occupancy requirements. Another one is that our prisons don’t focus on rehabilitation. Instead of getting to the roots of why everyone got to where they are they’re more focused on keeping them there. Our prisons don’t focus on improving their skills so they can get out of the situations that put them there. And there’s the stigma around hiring ex cons. Some companies are unwilling to hire ex cons and if they can’t find work they’re more likely to commit another crime which lands them back in prison

[@prestonlin2253]

Dont private prisons have a garunteed occupancy rate? I think there was a case in arizona where the prison sued the state

[@familygash7500]

Perhaps Ron should go ice fishing.

[@Sciller4]

You got the "less/greater than" sign the wrong way around at 0:48

[@LynyrdSkynyrd.4Ever]

They sure do! Good catch!

[@fakade2987]

The problem with the prison system is that it is no longer a tool for rehabilitation. Inmates are left to their own devices and often times forced into groupings based on race religion and gang membership so many times non violent or first time offenders are forced to carry the ideals and beliefs of the violent leaders of these same groups and it leads to them leaving prison more violent and dangerous than when they went in and more often than not end up making repeat offences. The overcrowded nature of the prison system is a self replicating problem rather than readjust inmates to live in society after prison it turns them into hardened criminals and the guards and wardens have no way to control all the inmates so they allow the gangs and groups to have they control because it keeps the daily flow of the prisons easier to handle if everyone is scared of the repricussions of going against one of the strong gangs. The issues can never be fixed unless we break apart the gangland nature of the prison system from within and put the focus back on rehabilitating inmates and giving them a realistic path forward after incarceration rather than creating career criminals out of first time offenders.

[@jefferydraper4019]

Its no longer a tool for rehabilitation because the tools to promote rehabilitation have been slowly removed. Inmates no longer work. They dont go to school. Religious services turn out to be nothing but cover for prison gang meetings. I worked as an officer for 10 years. Whatever you thought prison was like, its not that anymore. I expected Brubaker (and that movie is horrifying)...and was shocked its more like Kindergarten Cop.

[@fakade2987]

@@jefferydraper4019 it’s very true the system has been allowed to fester and the gang culture has been allowed to run so rampant that rehabilitation is impossible. I have an uncle who is very mentally unstable and instead of being put in a mental institution he was sent to prison and I won’t take any personal responsibility away from him he was his own person but he went in a punk 19 yr old kid with a black best friend who he would gladly take a bullet for and came out a hitler worshiping member of the aryan nation and a career criminal who has been back and forth from correctional facilities ever since. The system amplified all his issues and turn him into nothing but a 2 bit thug with no respect and a massive drug problem as it’s easier to get drugs in prison than a Bible. The system has failed all those it is meant to protect

[@jefferydraper4019]

@@fakade2987 its finishing school for thugs in many cases.

[@user-op8fg3ny3j]

Seems like a response to Adam Knows Everything

[@funnyman4744]

there's still an adam knows everything channel? who watches him, he's just an annoying bastard giving unobjective and oversimplified overviews of very complex topics which require lots of time to properly understand

[@user-op8fg3ny3j]

1 shadow banned reply...

[@funnyman4744]

​@@user-op8fg3ny3j man, I can't even call adam ruins everything misinformation

[@tetraxis3011]

@@funnyman4744 Yep, that channel is quite possibly the biggest source of lies and misleading on political KZbin

[@sourpoison5681]

Judges prosecutors and other public servants hold stock in these private prisons , therefore incentivizing criminalizing the public. V

[@paulgardner5079]

I did a brief stint in prison in the late 90s/early 2000s and inmated were hoping for transfer to private prisons becuae rumor was the conditions were much more comfortable

[@williamturner6192]

Thank you so much

[@jonforde3651]

Oh Ron even in prison you never learn 😔

[@kireduhai9428]

Having worked 2 years at a privately-run prison, they are genuinely worse and more corrupt than state ones in my experience. But that said, I absolutely do buy the notion that they don't contribute to overcrowding. Mostly they just waste more funds and have worse discipline and oversight, both of staff and of inmates.

[@jackcoleman5955]

“Eh, it’s mostly peaceful…”. -Whew!!

[@Jon_Rivera180]

At 0:48 you put the greater than symbol in front of 100k but said "A bit less than 100 thousand". Just wanted to point that out in case you didn't intend on doing that. I hope you're all having a wonderful day and God bless you!

[@maxxon99]

Yeah, what about that judge who got kickbacks from the prison companies for locking more juveniles up?

[@josephnewsome2935]

Heard of that to that was disgusting

[@laukinath194]

Give the government harrumph!

[@arcdecibel9986]

Common factor is government regulating private industry.

[@nadrewod999]

At 0:47, when you say "less than 100,000 people total", the graphic uses the symbol for "greater than" by mistake.

[@abcdefghij337]

You know what really caused the increase in prisoners? The lack of good father figures handing out @ss-whoopings.

[@gumps1986]

“Harrumph” 😂 I caught that

[@TickedOffPriest]

The problem is the number of laws.

[@authenticallysuperficial9874]

0:46 "A bit less than 100,000 inmates" ">100k" Genius

[@StudioUAC]

Theres no such thing as a victimless crime. Society is the victim when it comes to drug use.

[@teebob21]

No such thing as a victimless crime? Sure there is. Example: let's say, for the purposes of this discussion, I willingly suck dick for money. In most states, this is illegal for me to do, as well as illegal for John to receive his blowy. Who is the victim here? Why can't I make $20 behind a Wendy's?

[@acem82]

Solution, actual justice, meaning "an eye for an eye, a life for a life". Justice is repayment, to the victim, almost always from the perpetrator. You *never* have a debt to "society", you have a debt to the person you wronged. You most certainly don't owe a debt to the government. If you took an eye, the jury should award punishment up to an eye, the monetary payment to deal with the medical bills of replacing the eye and whatever the pain and inconvenience is worth. If you took a life, you owe the next of kin a life, and you better hope the next of kin will take something less than your life! Putting someone in a prison, where they get 3 hots and a cot paid for by the taxpayer, (including the victim!) is *not* justice - maybe in the case of kidnapping. Otherwise, it's just another injustice put on the victims! When the State determined they were the most harmed party by the "crime", that was when it all went to hell!

[@jare3459]

Love how Florida man is just part of group now.

[@Intranetusa]

I read the problem with private prisons (funded by taxpayer money/govt grants/etc) is that they can cherry pick the most profitable inmates (eg. Lighter offenders who don't need a lot of expensive security), which leaves the state/taxpayers with the responsibility of taking care of the more expensive to incarcerate hardened/more grave criminals while depriving the state of funding for taking care of the cheaper lighter offenders. This is basically corporate socialism where losses are socialized while profits are privatized.

[@MrDj232]

Except the state already has to deal with those worse offenders and would be paying those expenses anyway. So this isn't so much a problem as it is some business figuring out how to profit off something the government pays them to do.

[@Intranetusa]

@@MrDj232 You're forgetting the light offenders and the $$$ they bring in funding. In a fully state run system, the state would also be dealing with all of the light offenders too - so the cost per head would even/average out by having both light + heavy offenders together. Right now, the taxpayer funding is the same per head for both light offenders and heavy offenders. The private prisons take the light offenders and the same funding $$$ per head and thus make more money. The public prisons take the heavy offenders and the same funding $$$ per head and thus are bleeding money and need more resources because the cost to incarcerate heavy offenders is much more expensive. If this system made any sense, the private companies would be taking in both light and heavy offenders instead of cherry picking the profitable light offenders at the expense of taxpayers. Then their costs would even out too. In the current ridiculous system where private companies only have to take light offenders, it is corporate socialism where the financial burden falls on the taxpayers while the private prisons make profits off of taxpayer funding that goes to private individuals.

[@MrDj232]

@@Intranetusa That's not how expenses work. If you mixed the heavy and light offenders you'd still have to pay for all the security measures the heavy offenders need. The difference is that you'd either have an overstuffed prison with high security, or you'd have to build extra facilities with high security. Separating light offenders into a private system reduces strain on the high security prisons and puts the private company in charge of some of the costs.

[@Intranetusa]

@@MrDj232 It is absolutely how expenses work. If you have both money makers and money losers then the average costs to you will even out. If you only have money losers while other people take the money makers then you will be in the negative. Yes, the state still has to build extra security for heavy offenders no matter what but that is not the point. The point is that the state would have additional taxpayer money from taking care of the light offenders too if it takes in both light and heavy offenderrs. Separating light offenders into a private system increases the strain on high security prisons because those public prisons are deprived of the funding per head that would've come with taking in light offenders. Those light offenders are cheap/easy to take care of while heavy offenders are expensive to take care of, so having both light and heavy offenders at the same time would help public prisons even out their funding problem.

[@MrDj232]

@@Intranetusa The government doesn't run for profit prisons. There are no money makers in a government prison. Light offenders either add to the strain on high security prisons or need a separate facility anyways. They cannot offset the cost of dealing with more serious criminals.

[@johnwright456]

I am for getting rid of prisons just jail. To hold for court date.

[@JUGGERNAUT____]

The difference is the private prison I was sent to had movie night that showed new in theater movies and Xbox game time

[@ARKGAMING]

I was today years old when I found out there are private prisons

[@WinginWolf]

“It’s mostly peaceful” HAHAHAHAAH

[@julonkrutor4649]

Just for comparison for all Americans: recidivism rates: Recidivism rates can vary widely depending on the type of crime committed, length of prison sentences, and other factors. There is no uniform national recidivism rate in the United States because the jurisdiction of the penitentiary is shared between the federal and state levels. Historically, recidivism rates in the US have been around 40-50% within the first three years after release from prison. In Germany there is also no uniform national recidivism rate, since the administration of justice is at the state level. According to a 2019 study by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), the general recidivism rate in Germany was about 41% within three years of being released. Costs: The cost of the prison system can vary widely and depends on several factors including the number of inmates, length of sentences, infrastructure and human resources. In the US, the cost of the prison system is among the highest in the world. In 2019, total US penal spending was approximately $80 billion. So just under $241 per citizen per year. In Germany the costs are lower compared to the USA. According to the Federal Statistical Office, spending on prisons in Germany in 2019 was around 3.5 billion euros. So €42.06 per citizen per year. Germany is not perfect. But after World War II, we copied our prison system from the best: the USA. It's just a shame that the USA didn't keep this up.

[@elizabethcomstock265]

I wonder how much the prison industrial complex paid for this

[@sandrabonner8208]

Don't do crimes; problem solved.

[@fuckyougeorgebush]

What's legal today will inevitably be illegal given a long enough time span.

[@noturbusiness9736]

I’m not very knowledgeable on this particular issue, thanks for the information

[@leomagnvs4525]

I used to think that, but nowadays I'm convinced America has a chronic under incarceration problem with all the anarcho tyranny going on

[@kc4cvh]

0:57 Except that private prisons have consistently cost about 12% more than state-run institutions. Introducing stockholders, corporate executives and other idlers to the equation never makes the goods or services cheaper.

[@fivebrosstopmos]

There are too few people in prison.

[@tetraxis3011]

WHAT? of 11 million estimated prisoners on earth, the US has 2 million.

[@fivebrosstopmos]

Mainly because our prisons are so comfortable. A high prison population is actually a really good thing for the economy. We can get cheap or even free labor, and become a competitor to China/

[@ReformedSauron]

All jokes and good points aside... Private prisons privatize part of the justice system. Not good. The justice system should not be a for-profit and should be one of the few things left up to the state.

[@cultist4194]

based

[@user-op8fg3ny3j]

@@cultist4194 💯

[@asahearts1]

You would think of all people, he would realize that profit incentives cause more of something.

[@ReformedSauron]

@@asahearts1 yes. In many aspects private prisons are better in terms of efficiency. But the fact that money is part of the equation in that justice and how they are run biases the entire system. We already have a biased system, we don't need any more of it, nor do we need to officially legitimize such a bias in concrete law.

[@asahearts1]

@@ReformedSauron What I mean is, if crime is profitable for anyone, you get more crime.

[@therealfriday13th]

Why didn't you do anything with the "I have to buy toilet paper from a vending machine" part?

[@PoorBoyProductions660]

1:14 "I have to buy toilet paper from a vending machine!" Well, what are stores but vending machines you can walk in to?

[@trentr9762]

The USA has over 2 million people in prison, whilst the GLOBAL population is just over 11 million. It being private and/or for profit in general is a huge contributor to this as reformation and rehabilitation is not a priority, you dont profit from removing repeat custom. Even in the case of state run prisons in the USA, they are still there to make a profit, using borderline slave labour and cost cutting as much as possible. More prisoners = more money for the state and the companies where as in Europe less prisoners means more money for the state. Weirdly enough if you start taking tax money away from the government they work to find ways to fix the issue causing that drain, which is why the health of citizens is better in countries with tax subsidised healthcare as the state push to keep people in good physical and mental health, Same concept applies for crime. Crime rates are much lower across Europe despite it being denser and reoffending is not as common as structures are put in place to help those in need. In these countries a healthy populace means a healthy government, which in turn means a healthy populace. This isnt to say that the state should be in charge of everything, but that there are certain aspects where it makes much more sense. Honestly this is one of the first times i find myself disagreeing with you but i do feel youve failed to see the bigger issues at play here. Both political parties need to work together to sort this out, but yall are too divided for that to happen at the moment

[@RealEnerjak]

There is one thing both sides can agree on. The war on drugs is a massive failure, and the government getting involved with drugs was a bad idea to begin with.

[@robertbeisert3315]

Justice delayed is no justice. Punishments that do not meet the crime, both in extremity and in mildness, are no justice. Penalizing the innocent by subsidizing the lifestyles of the guilty is no justice. Basing guilt and sentencing on the legal knowledge of random people is no justice. (The idea was always to use the jury to nullify the unjust laws as a form of mercy, by the way).

[@timothypryor7952]

Ok. Now do a breakdown of the Trouble Teen Industry.

[@Crazy-Chicken-Media]

Even after the passage of the Judiciary Act of 1789, "the definition of crimes and the establishment of punishments" remained a "missing link of the criminal system". The Judiciary Act of 1789 divided original jurisdiction for the trial of federal crimes between the district courts and the circuit courts. The district courts were given jurisdiction over all federal crimes "where no other punishment than whipping, not exceeding thirty stripes, a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars, or a term of imprisonment not exceeding six months, is to be inflicted". The circuit courts were given concurrent jurisdiction over these crimes, and exclusive jurisdiction over all other federal crimes. The circuit courts also exercised appellate jurisdiction over the district courts, but only in civil cases. The Judiciary Act of 1789 also placed the responsibility for prosecuting federal crimes in the United States Attorney for each federal judicial district. The Act provided that "there shall be appointed in each district" a "person learned in the law to act as attorney for the United States in such district, who shall be sworn or affirmed to the faithful execution of his office, whose duty it shall be to prosecute in such district all delinquents for crimes and offenses, cognizable under the authority of the United States." Prior to the Crimes Act, Congress had established very few federal crimes. Among Congress's earlier criminal statutes were: The renewal of the Northwest Ordinance, which authorized the executive to adopt state law within the Northwest Territory; and A prohibition on unloading ships in the dark or without a license, as well as customs bribery and false statements; and A prohibition on census takers failing to report their findings. it covered: Treason, Piracy and the high seas, Counterfeiting, Crimes against the law of nations, Exclusive federal jurisdiction, Integrity of the judicial process, and many more

[@teebob21]

All of that is true, but that was also back when the States had rights, and the Federal Octopus had fewer, shorter tentacles. Those days are long gone.

[@DeadCat-42]

Cash for kids, private prisons cause attrocities.

[@tenebrousjones4897]

Maybe we should point the finger at the criminals?

[@oaksparoakspar3144]

The people responsible are the criminals. They are in prison because, wait for it, they committed crimes - and usually rather serious ones, since we have revolving doors that keep dumping criminals back on the streets in short order. Now, you can point to things that government is doing that increases crime (promoting fatherlessness) or that could reduce crime if done better (education). Still, at the end of the day, the people responsible for filling up the prisons are the criminals and if overcrowding is a problem, that is a failure to build enough prisons.

[@teebob21]

It's rather unethical and unpopular for you to try to cast blame for these crimes back onto the people who committed them. How do you know that they simply couldn't help themselves? What about the people who commit crimes for the sheer excitement of it? Who are we to tell these people that they can't have a good time?

[@jacksonglass3447]

I agree with all the facts that Seamus said but i still think that privet prisons are a little odd and i dont agree that they are a good idea. but like most things im not going to say we should get rid of them quit yet as i dont really see a way to do so with out scerwing lot of things up.

[@cyberdarkturtle6971]

Was that a Beavis and Butthead reference?

[@andrewprice1774]

I will say that we had a private prison here in south Georgia to get shut down due to some very unscrupulous hijinks!!

[@Ggdivhjkjl]

Are there subtle hints to lockdown in this episode?

[@TheScarletSlayer]

I say we arrest everyone, once everyone's arrested then no one's arrested.

[@jefferydraper4019]

Judge Rico : "The innocent exist only until they inevitably become perpetrators."

[@TheScarletSlayer]

@@jefferydraper4019 everys innocent until the majority say otherwise

[@davisaasen7018]

Your ">" sign early on is backward

[@GrumpyWolfTech]

mandatory minimum sentances landed me in prison for 4 years when I was 17. I had never committed a crime in my life before. I have now been out of prison for 20 years, worked tech support for MS for 7 years, and got my degree in network administration,, but because of mandatory minimum sentancing my life is a ton harder because I was sentanced as an adult and I now have a record.

[@bobbob-zc1nx]

Well you were an adult, and we don't even know your crime nor circumstances. No system is going to be Crack free but mandatory minimums prevent alot of corruption

[@mcarrowtime7095]

what did you do to get imprisoned and tried as an adult.

[@bobbob-zc1nx]

@@mcarrowtime7095 being 17 There adults and have been in most states and all history.

[@teebob21]

@@mcarrowtime7095 Violent crime or federal drug charges, obviously. Mandatory minimum sentences didn't apply to lesser offenses.

[@PureGel]

That's awful

[@platty9237]

I’d like to know about the economics of a private prison. Is prisoner labor exploited? What about the cost of amenities? They seem insanely high, and inmate wages extremely low. I wonder if that makes for a better facility, or if they turn a huge profit. How does it compare to federal prisons?

[@lordmike9384]

Imagine fining prisons for revisitism

[@lonjohnson5161]

I don't think we are on the same page on this one.