Private prisons, bail bonds, policing contracts, court fees, immigration detention. How the criminal-justice system became an industry, and who gets paid by the headcount.
4 pieces
Civil asset forfeiture lets U.S. police take cash, cars, and property from people who have not been charged with a crime, on the assumption that the property itself is connected to criminal activity. The Institute for Justice has documented the scope. Many state and federal forfeitures generate revenue that flows back to the seizing agency, creating a direct financial incentive to seize.
Two private companies, Securus Technologies and ViaPath, sit on nearly every prison and jail communications contract in the United States. The families of the incarcerated pay the bill,…
The American bail bond industry, alone among advanced democracies, lets a private insurer decide whether a person accused of a crime walks free or sits in jail. Two…
Private prison companies operate as both legislative drafter and contract beneficiary. ALEC routes their model bills to friendly state legislators. Bed-guarantee clauses make criminal-justice reform expensive for states.…