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Monday, November 21, 2011

Private Prison Charges Inmates $5 a Minute for Phone Calls While They Work for $1 a Day

Last year the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the nation’s largest private prison company, received $74 million of taxpayers’ money to run immigration detention centers. Their largest facility in Lumpkin, Georgia, receives $200 a night for each of the 2,000 detainees it holds, and rakes in yearly profits between $35 million and $50 million.

Prisoners held in this remote facility depend on the prison’s phones to communicate with their lawyers and loved ones. Exploiting inmates’ need, CCA charges detainees here $5 per minute to make phone calls. Yet the prison only pays inmates who work at the facility $1 a day. At that rate, it would take five days to pay for just one minute.

8 comments:

lmclain said...

Legalized extortion. Legalized slavery. I wonder how many lawmakers have friends/relatives in the private prison business? Add it up --- $200 per night x 2000 inmates is WOW!!! $400,000 PER DAY!! And they pay the inmates $1 per day? Someone better check the premises for Jews and crematoriums.... You can bet your life savings that MORE than extortion and slavery are occuring at this "remote" location....What if, because, say, froma beating by the "guards", you are unable to work? Does that mean you have no access to an attorney? Or family? REMEMBER---not everyone in prison is guilty. THAT is a fact borne out by THOUSANDS of cases on record. And not from a "technicality", either. Straight up, undeniably INNOCENT. Hundreds from DNA evidence alone....

Confused Officer said...

Check what Wicomico County Detention Center charges inmates for phone calls, commissary, and food. Also, there is a new rule taking effect soon, which says that no one can have clothes or shoes brought in, they must all be purchased from the jail commissary.

fred said...

The detention center be also charging to drop money off for inmates in their accounts

Anonymous said...

So what's the problem here? If they follow the law like everyone else they won't be in jail.

Anonymous said...

Agreed, 7:29. Maybe they will work harder and behave better. I see it as incentive.

Anonymous said...

Pay them in Stamps and let them write letters
Oh yeah teach them to read and write

Anonymous said...

So what's the problem here? If they follow the law like everyone else they won't be in jail.

November 21, 2011 7:29 PM

What everyone else? There is no everyone else. It's the ones who have not been caught yet.

And following the law, if even possible, is no guarantee you won't go to prison. As another commenter has said, not everyone in prison is guilty of a crime.

Anonymous said...

guilty or not if your in jail your just plain stupid to have been in a position to be so
guilty or not it keeps stupid people with few choices out of the breeding pool
and if they are that stupid Id warrant sterilizing them too while they are on the tax dole