[jrhurst]

"If someone is the best jailer in the world would it not be reasonable to reward them?"

I mean if we're gonna bring up this anology we've gotta figure out what a "best failer in the world" even means? What is the value the jailer creates? How do define a high performance jailer over just a nominal performant jailer? If there is no extra value produced by the best jailer in the world then we are over paying the best jailer in the world.

[bdcravens]

There's value in reducing recidivism and escapes. More practically, jails are understaffed, and there's tremendous political value in making Joe Public feel safer.

[rhizome]

there's tremendous political value in making Joe Public feel safer.

On this point, without looking it up, what do you estimate the overall recidivism rate to be? Just in a general conversational sense.

[bdcravens]

Depends on the crime and incarceration level.

[rhizome]

Overall.

[whatshisface]

Every industry in the world has to address those same questions when organizing itself, although in this case the government is (and by extension we are) involved in the decisions. I would put forward cost-effectiveness and maintaining order as a couple of good qualities that prison operators should be rewarded for but I'm sure we could come up with many others.

[mmirate]

> What is the value the jailer creates?

People don't fear being sent to the hospital over an off-color remark. Thieves don't hold honest folk at their mercy. Arsonists haven't done an exact recreation of Sherman's March, or anything similar. Serial murderers haven't killed off any non-negligible part of the population.

That's the value jailers create.