[squarefoot]

"The goal of a speeding ticket is not to collect $50, it is to save lives by detering people from speeding.."

It was once, maybe. I wonder how many people are actually turned from minor offenders into full criminals by the current law/jail system. To me it looks like the goal is to operate an artificial selection on the human species to encourage those who help the economy more. That is, legalized Eugenics.

[duckerude]

I think the goal of private prisons is to make more money (which is easier when spending less money and keeping prisoners longer, which also makes them more likely to re-offend), and the goal of politicians is to appear tough on crime and respond to lobbying (by private prisons).

Or something like that, anyway. Alignment of petty individual goals usually makes more sense than grand conspiracies.

[skate22]

I have gotten exactly 1 speeding ticket in my life.

It was for $200 in highschool and it stung.

If i got that same speeding ticket now, it would not sting nearly as much, and i would probably be over it by the time i went to work the next morning.