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A26 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 9 May 2020
Crime doesn't pay but prison does, even during a pandemic

By ROBIN McDOWELL and outsourced prison health San Diego announced the tion justice advocates suc- "They exploit and abuse
MARGIE MASON care, frequently accused first death of a detainee in cessfully moved nine major people with devastating
Associated Press by experts of offering sub- a U.S. Immigration and Cus- banks, including J.P. Mor- consequences," she said.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — As standard treatment even in toms Enforcement deten- gan and Bank of America, "Of course, they aren't uni-
factories and other busi- laterally responsible for
nesses remain shuttered mass incarceration, but
across America, people in they're part of the ecosys-
prisons in at least 40 states tem propping it up."
continue going to work. The report includes ven-
Sometimes they earn pen- dors that stock commissar-
nies an hour, or nothing at ies with Cup Noodles and
all, making masks and hand Tide laundry detergent,
sanitizer to help guard oth- along with contracted
ers from the coronavirus. health care providers that
Those same men and wom- have been sued for provid-
en have been cut off from ing limited or inadequate
family visits for weeks, but coverage to those behind
they get charged up to $25 bars.
for a 15-minute phone call There are companies like
— plus a surcharge every Smith & Wesson that make
time they add credit. protective gear for correc-
They also pay marked-up tional officers and Attenti
prices at the commissary that supply electronic an-
for soap so they can wash kle bracelets. Other house-
their hands more frequent- hold names, such as Stan-
ly. That service can carry a ley Black & Decker, have
100% processing fee. entire units dedicated to
As the coronavirus cripples manufacturing accessories
the economy, leaving mil- In this March 16, 2011, file photo, a security fence surrounds inmate housing on the Rikers Island for prison doors.
lions unemployed and correctional facility in New York. Incarcerated people also
many companies on life Associated Press work, making everything
support, big businesses that from license plates to body
have become synonymous the best of times. tion center. to stop lending money to armor vests and mattresses.
with the world's largest pris- Sheron Edwards shares a When incarceration rates private prisons. In California, some even
on system are still making dorm with 50 other men soared to record highs in Today, some of corporate serve as firefighters. But in
money. at Chickasaw County Re- the 1980s and '90s, some America's biggest names, some places, they are em-
"It's hard. Especially at a gional Correctional Facil- corporations saw a business and many smaller compa- ployed by major corpora-
time like this, when you're ity in Mississippi. Given his opportunity. They promised nies, vie for a share of the tions such as Minnesota-
out of work, you're waiting past experiences with the lower costs and, in many $80 billion spent on mass based 3M.
for unemployment … and prison's medical provid- cases, profit-sharing agree- incarceration each year Billed as a cheap alterna-
you don't have money to er, Centurion, he worries ments. Prison and jail ad- in the U.S., roughly half of tive to foreign outsourcing,
send," said Keturah Bryan, about what will happen if ministrators started privatiz- which stays in the public inmates also previously pro-
who transfers hundreds of the coronavirus hits. ing everything from food sector to pay for staff sala- vided goods to Starbucks,
dollars each month to her "I'm afraid they'll just let us and commissary to entire ries and some health care Victoria's Secret and Whole
64-year-old father at a fed- die in here," he said. operations of facilities. costs, according to the Foods, sparking an uproar
eral prison in Oklahoma. When he was at the state's Proponents of for-profit pris- Massachusetts-based non- that caused many big-
Meanwhile, she said, pris- notorious Parchman prison ons say the government profit Prison Policy Initiative. name companies to bow
ons continue to gouge. several years ago, Edwards relies on contractors for A new report released Thurs- out.
"You have to pay for phone said the company refused services it cannot always day by New York-based Some people leave their
calls, emails, food," she to pay for costly heart provide on its own, from advocacy group Worth Ris- lockups to do jobs in the
said. "Everything." medication and only pro- the brick and mortar of a es detailed some 4,100 cor- community, such as fast
The coronavirus outbreak vided one session of physi- new facility to phone time porations that profit from food restaurants. State-
has put an unlikely spot- cal therapy when he had and food for those inside. the country's prisons and owned businesses have
light on America's jails and to have a 6-inch rod and And because it's easier to jails. It identified corpora- also cropped up around
prisons, which house more screws placed in his broken cancel contracts, there is tions that support prison la- the massive prison la-
than 2.2 million people and ankle. greater incentive to pro- bor directly or through their bor industries, including
have been described by "Even though that wasn't vide better service, said supply chains. The group some with almost comical
health experts as petri dish- life threatening, it was seri- Alexandra Wilkes, spokes- also recommended divest- names, such as Big House
es as the virus spreads. ous," he said. "With COV- person for Day 1 Alliance, a ing from more than 180 products in Pennsylvania
Masks and hand sanitizer ID-19, I could actually lose trade group that represents publicly traded corpora- and Rough Rider Industries
often aren't provided. Test- my life." the country's three leading tions and investment firms in North Dakota.
ing is rarely carried out, More than 20,000 prisoners private prison operators. considered to cause the While some jobs might pay
even among those with have been infected and Ultimately, that leads to greatest harm to people minimum wage as required
symptoms, despite fears 295 have died nationwide better living conditions and behind bars and the com- by federal law for goods
that surrounding communi- — from Rikers Island in New more effective reintroduc- munities that support them. that enter interstate com-
ties may be affected. And York City to federal, state, tion of the incarcerated "The industry behind mass merce, the take-home pay
in some parts of the coun- and local lockups coast back into society, with the incarceration is bigger of workers in correctional
try, those sickened by the to coast, according to an ultimate goal of reducing than many appreciate. So industries can be as low as
virus languish in sweltering unofficial tally kept by the recidivism, she and others is the harm they cause and 20% of their stated wage
buildings with poor ventila- COVID-19 Behind Bars Data say. the power they wield," said after garnishment for room
tion. Project run by UCLA Law. But not everyone agrees. In Bianca Tylek, the group's and board, restitution and
The concerns extend to On Wednesday, officials in 2019, criminal and immigra- founder and director. other costs. q