Texas charges prisoners 50% more for water as heat wave continues
Texas charges prisoners 50% more for water as heat wave continues
The price rise hit prisoners seeking bottled water as temperatures eclipse the 100 degree mark in unairconditioned facilities. The state vendor asked to raise the price and two state agencies signed off.
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Read the article. They're paying for bottled water. They have access to regular tap water, but some people are saying the tap water in these very old prisons isn't fit for drinking.
Are these prisons private or managed by private companies?
I don't think the article specifically says, but most prisons in the U.S. are privately owned. I can only imagine that's more the case in Texas than it is the nation as a whole.
According to this, Texas has ~7% of their prison population in private facilities. The national rate is ~8%.
Hrm. Well, I'm happily surprised to be wrong on that.
You're only technically wrong. They're for profit in all but name.
Most prisons in the US are not privately owned.
8% of prisoners in the US are in private prisons.
Public prisons are also uniquely terrible. Both need dramatic reforms (at minimum, imo)
https://nicic.gov/weblink/private-prisons-united-states-2021
There's an excessive perception that the US prison system is privately run. As terrible as the concept is, it is not as widespread as people think... however the US prison population is gigantic, so it still isn't very small.
"While the United States represents about 4.2 percent of the world's population, it houses around 20 percent of the world's prisoners."
Not only are most US prisons not private, but I think the article was pretty clear that this was the result of decisions ultimately made by the state.
State prisons are still shitholes, though.
That's insane, fucking water tap water should be free and drinkable everywhere 🤦🏻♂️
You weren't aware in some states it's legal to charge the prisoner for their stay? No, that's not a joke.
They aren't really prisoners, they're slaves really.
They're slaves literally, the 13th amendment quite literally bans slavery except in the case of "lawful" confinement.
So how can we continue to pretend we have rights when these "rights" can be taken away from us at any time, on the whim of an evil police officer or judge or DA, and we are turned into chattel slaves when they do? We don't seriously have rights if we actually can be legally turned into chattel slaves at any time for any reason.
A bullet to head of any killer and pedophile, I agree with you my friend
That'll never happen. There's too many rich people and politicians.
And dumb poor people that'll protect them.
Yeah less state intervention is what we need
Careful. You're edging into the "small government" territory that sounds great but really means less food safety and building inspection and similar services, and more stuff taken private. It's not what we want for sure.
Didn't knew we already had a small government then.
Depending on whom you vote for, they'll either shrink it where it hurts or grow it back out again. Your choice.
What are they going to do if they don’t pay? Evict them?
It's when they get out and states legit wonder why they see the same people over and over.
It's better than you and me paying for them, as taxpayers. If they're in prison, the least they can do is work some kind of job to repay their debt to society, especially if they're in prison for violent crimes.
You mistake my point, these people lately aren't the toughened criminals that it effects. It's people actually trying to change and stay out of jail/prison who catch lifelong debt and a reduced ability to repay that debt thus incentivizing returning to crime.
It's a stupid fucking idea and their stay there is repaying the debt to society if you want them to make the state money then fucking garnish. People who endorse the prison system either haven't looked into it or just aren't willing to see reality.
Putting people at risk of dehydration and death is obviously very rehabilitative /s
Corpses have a very low recidivism rate, and lots of people in Texas really do think that way.