Private Prisons Should Be Abolished Essay

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During the 17th and 18th century, millions of slaves were imported from Africa to the United States of America. They were bound by chains and were not treated like humans. They were merchandise for people to use to make money off of. Slaves were later freed with the Emancipation Proclamation under President Abraham Lincoln, but the question that should be considered today is if privatization of prisons is modern day slavery. According to Suevon Lee’s article, “By the Numbers: The U.S.’s Growing For-Profit Detention Industry”, 128,195 prisoners were held in privately managed facilities as of December 2010. Though this may not seem like a massive number compared to the 2 million+ Americans in jail/prison, the second largest private detention company, The Geo Group, Inc., made around $1.6 billion total revenue in 2011. This much money was made by the 65 correctional facilities that The Geo Group, Inc. owns. Like slaves, prisoners are sent to these private prisons where they are seen as less than human while an outside source profits off of their struggles. Private prisons should be abolished from society. Their existence is immoral because the fact that people are being seen as subhuman and private prisons are profiting off the incarceration of people. We must further educate ourselves on what is truly happening with private prisons and reevaluate the United States prison system as a whole. Privately owned prisons should be gotten rid of because of their immoral nature.

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