> Presumably, most of the incarcerated people are there for a reason.
About a decade ago, The Economist ran an article highlighting how the folks owning the prisons lobbied for harsher laws and such, as they made so much money off the "free" prison labor.
The details are a bit fuzzy given it's been so long since I read it, but one example that stuck with me was US citizen who had been in prison for several years, due to transporting normal fish, crabs or similar in a plastic container, which apparently was against the law in the Caribbean country he was visiting (IIRC to protect endangered species from illegal export).
He was prosecuted and imprisoned back in the US, due to some law that was initially intended to be used against drug cartel folks.
Of course, not saying that this applies to all of the prison population.
About a decade ago, The Economist ran an article highlighting how the folks owning the prisons lobbied for harsher laws and such, as they made so much money off the "free" prison labor.
The details are a bit fuzzy given it's been so long since I read it, but one example that stuck with me was US citizen who had been in prison for several years, due to transporting normal fish, crabs or similar in a plastic container, which apparently was against the law in the Caribbean country he was visiting (IIRC to protect endangered species from illegal export).
He was prosecuted and imprisoned back in the US, due to some law that was initially intended to be used against drug cartel folks.
Of course, not saying that this applies to all of the prison population.