NoC News Analysis
Well, now it’s shamelessly clear: prisoners are chattel.
Ohio is trying to close an $8 million budget deficit, and, as necessity is the mother of invention, it’s trying something new: selling state prisons to private corporations to raise money for the state budget. However, this isn’t simply a property sell-off of outdated and unused prison buildings. Rather, the state is offering prison packages: buy the land, the buildings, and your corporation gets the prisoners, too!
The best (meaning astounding) part is that winning bidders can even operate their new prisons with 20-year contracts, which include a per-diem payment from the state. In order to win the bidding, though, the corporations have to come to the table with all kinds of war-game plans like how they would engage in “hot pursuit of escapees.” (This quote from Linda Janes, the chief of staff for the Ohio agency responsible for the state’s prisons.)
Evidently, here’s how the Ohio plan goes:
First: Incarcerate a bunch of people.
Second: Refuse to raise state taxes because the state has to “tighten its belt.”
Third: Sell prisons and prisoners to private corporations.
Fourth: Pay corporations to maintain prisoners.
Seems like a strange business plan to NoC. Forget the fact that it’s completely immoral.
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