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    CONVICTING FOR PROFITS: The Priority of Filling Prisons over Justice for the Innocent
    CONVICTING FOR PROFITS: The Priority of Filling Prisons over Justice for the Innocent
    CONVICTING FOR PROFITS: The Priority of Filling Prisons over Justice for the Innocent
    Ebook129 pages1 hour

    CONVICTING FOR PROFITS: The Priority of Filling Prisons over Justice for the Innocent

    By Dr. ROBERT PHILLIPS

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    About this ebook

    The book delves into the systemic flaws present in the criminal justice system and shines a light on the unjust practices within the prison system. It meticulously unpacks the conditions under which inmates are effectively coerced into laboring under harsh and exploitative circumstances, essentially operating as a modern-day slave labor force. F

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherC.O.L.T. Ministries
    Release dateJul 1, 2024
    ISBN9798330289141
    CONVICTING FOR PROFITS: The Priority of Filling Prisons over Justice for the Innocent

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      Book preview

      CONVICTING FOR PROFITS - Dr. ROBERT PHILLIPS

      INTRODUCTION

      Since the inception of the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC), there have been crucial and defining moments in terms of legislative action that have ultimately resulted in a significant rise in the utilization of prisons and the imprisonment of countless innocent individuals. Among the myriad turning points, one that stands out as particularly noteworthy and deserving of our attention is the enactment of the 1996 Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA). This Act, commonly called the PLRA, effectively restricts prisoners from filing claims for judicial relief about prison conditions unless they have thoroughly exhausted all available administrative remedies. While on the surface, this may not seem like a significant setback in the quest for justice when it comes to cases of wrongful imprisonment and the unjust detention of the innocent, one must delve deeper to understand the full extent and implications of this legislation.

      The ramifications of the PLRA are profound and extend far beyond what meets the eye. By forcing prisoners to navigate a labyrinthine administrative process before they can seek legal redress regarding their inhumane and unjust treatment within the prison system, the PLRA essentially erects insurmountable barriers for those wrongfully incarcerated. It places a burden upon burden on the already burdened, leaving the innocent languishing in a seemingly endless cycle of bureaucracy, all while administrators and authorities enjoy the luxury of time ticking away. Consequently, this creates an inherently unequal and imbalanced battle between the prisoners, who must serve their sentence in perpetuity, and a system that seems determined to ensure that they never truly have their day in court.

      However, it is not just the PLRA that contributes to the quagmire of wrongful imprisonment; it is also the convergence of federal funding and legislative measures that compound the issue, exacerbating this phenomenon. A glaring example lies in the unparalleled increase of federal funding, a staggering 500% surge, which was injected into the criminal justice system through the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (ATEDPA) and the Innocence Protection Act (IPA). These acts, purportedly initiated to combat terrorism and safeguard the innocent, ironically end up perpetuating a broken system and greasing the wheels of injustice.

      By funneling substantial financial resources to the states, the ATEDPA and the IPA inadvertently create an environment conducive to expedited convictions and the relentless perpetuation of wrongful imprisonments. Rather than functioning as measures to protect the innocent and ensure a fair and just justice system, these acts inadvertently serve as catalysts for hasty and erroneous verdicts, leading to the imprisonment of countless innocent individuals who find themselves entangled in the machinery of a flawed and prejudiced system.

      In conclusion, the confluence of the PLRA with the increased federal funding via the ATEDPA and the IPA has irrevocably tilted the scales of justice in favor of wrongful imprisonment and the detention of the innocent. The interconnectedness of these legislative actions has paved the way for a system that systematically relegates the rights and well-being of prisoners to a secondary position, perpetuating an atmosphere of oppression, injustice, and despair. We must confront and address these critical junctures head-on if we are to reclaim the fundamental principles of fairness, justice, and humanity in our criminal justice system. (Foss, 2023)(Reilly, 2020)

      1

      The Profit motive in Prison Industry

      Prison Industrial Complex (PIC) is a highly contentious and thought-provoking term that is widely employed to attribute the staggering and alarming growth of the inmate population in the United States to the profound and perplexing political influence exerted by private prison companies and an intricate network of businesses that incessantly supply an array of goods and indispensable services to the sprawling and intricate government prison agencies, encompassing a multifaceted conglomerate that casts a pervasive and indelible shadow on the fabric of the nation's criminal justice system.

      It is essential to comprehend that the term PIC encapsulates a multifaceted web of interdependencies and intricate dynamics, predominantly centered around the profound and unprecedented economic influence held by private prison companies over the domains of criminal justice, ultimately culminating in a staggering and unsettling increase in the number of individuals languishing behind bars, bereft of their freedom and stripped of their fundamental human rights.

      Within the intricate complexities of the PIC, one of the most widely recognized and comprehended facets pertains to the private contracting arrangements orchestrated by these prison enterprises, wherein prisoners are systematically exploited and coerced into servitude, with their labor being relentlessly exploited to provide a vast array of goods and indispensable services, all the while being subjected to deplorable conditions and nominal remuneration that utterly pales in comparison to the worth of their labor.

      It is crucial to underscore that the prison labor industry relies inexorably on a persistent and long-term source of dirt-cheap labor to thrive and achieve continued success. In a somewhat disconcerting turn of events, it becomes apparent that the state, propelled by a prevailing and fervent inclination to adopt draconian and stringent get tough on crime policies, has emerged as a veritable and dependable provider of such an abundant and continuous supply of cheap labor, thereby perpetuating a self-perpetuating cycle of inherent human rights abuses and systemic oppression within the vast confines of the infamous PIC. (Appleman, 2022)Reiman and Leighton, 2020)

      Currently, the United States stands as the undeniable global leader in incarceration rates. It is truly astounding that the U.S. has imprisoned an unprecedented number of individuals, surpassing any other country in the world. To put this staggering reality into perspective, the U.S. has locked up half a million more people than China, a country with a population five times larger than that of the United States. The statistics, which reveal this grossly disproportionate truth, show that the declared number of public and private prisons is capable of housing an estimated 1.6 million inmates. However, upon closer examination of this data, a startling revelation emerges: for the prison industry to continue thriving, a more significant influx of inmates is essential despite the dubious prospect of increased crime.

      This leaves us with corrupt or mistaken convictions as the seemingly viable solution to fueling the industry's exponential growth. Furthermore, it is alarmingly plausible that allowing corporations to advocate for longer sentences would serve as the second option to accommodate an ever-growing number of inmates, thereby enhancing the profitability per incarcerated individual. With nefarious legislation like the abhorrent three strikes law lurking in the shadows, the possibility of doling out life sentences for offenses that would typically warrant a minor reprimand becomes a chilling reality. This could incentivize the perpetuation of criminal activities to sustain an alarmingly high prison population artificially.

      The increased presence of high-security risk inmates, combined with longer sentences, seems to bolster private corporations' financial gains, albeit at a grave cost. This bleak reality not only poses an unparalleled threat to innocent individuals who might fall victim to harm at the hands of seasoned criminals but also effectively undermines the very foundation of justice and fairness we should uphold. It is disheartening and profoundly unsettling to acknowledge that in the relentless pursuit of maximizing profits, the equation becomes ruthless: more inmates equate to more significant financial gains.

      Under this scheme, where monetary considerations outweigh the inherent value of human life, it is no surprise that minimizing operating costs becomes the modus operandi. Tragically, history has demonstrated time and time again that ministries of justice have consistently struggled with systemic mismanagement of funds. Consequently, any efforts to curtail expenditures would inevitably birth devastating consequences borne by the most vulnerable: the innocent individuals whose unjust incarceration would serve as a methodical sacrifice at the altar of corporate greed. (Young, 2020)

      Similar to any corporation, a prison's primary objective is to generate profit. To achieve this goal, prisons must maintain full occupancy. Two main strategies are used to achieve this profitability and secure financial success for the institution. The first method involves increasing the

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