[johndevor]

Isn't it the justice system that fills the prisons?

[rosser]

Many private prison contracts have terms requiring a minimum number of prisoners. The state is thus contractually obligated to convict people.

How is this OK?

[nickik]

Yes. But that is only possible because the justice system allows that.

I totally agree that these contracts should not be legal. But the argument is still correct overall, the prisons don't put people in prison.

And the US had overpopulated prisons before private prisons. In fact, the VERY REASON why private prisons were established was because there were so many prisoners that the government were just not efficient enough to organize it at that scale in some cases.

Fundamentally it is the bad laws and the bad legal system that leads to this.

[JoeAltmaier]

Ooooor, move people from the public system to the private one, creating inefficiencies. Let's not call conspiracy, this is getting silly.