Prison Planet Florida

Saved you the room you used to
stay in every Sunday
The one that is warmed by sunshine every day
And we'll get to know each other for a second time
And then you can tell me 'bout your prison stay
--Care of Cell 44, The Zombies

Clang clang, go the jail guitar doors
Bang bang, go the boots on the floor
Cry cry, for your lonely mother's son
--Jail Guitar Doors, the Clash

Johnny's in America
no tax at the wheel
Nobody needs anyone
They don't even just pretend
--I'm Afraid of Americans,
David Bowie
___________________

There is a controversy brewing in the Sunshine State around the constitutionality of privatizing the prison system. The Florida Supreme Court has ruled against the idea, but our profit-minded Governor "Pink Slip" Rick Scott is seeking too circumvent the ruling in the name of saving taxpayer's money, the holy grail of politicos everywhere.

However, if saving taxpayer's money were truly the concern, reducing the growth of the prison/security state should be the focus. Prisons should not be the premier growth industry of a state, yet it is. It is estimated that between one in 36 to 100 Americans are currently in jail. That is a lot of potential manpower being warehoused on the state's dime.

Getting "tough on crime" via incarceration may sound good, but when most inmates are non-violent drug offenders, it makes little sense. The majority will just get back on the carousel upon release anyway, and the only achievement will have been to have made room for a new crop of users/criminals to practice their craft in their place.

If we wanted to save money and be a just and equable society, forget the profit margins and look at reducing the human cost of our lock-up leadership philosophy. By extension, it could be said that Rick Scott and his cohort have always profited by keeping the legions in thrall, for what is today's health "care" system (which Rick ran before attaining his governorship) if not a warehousing of sick people into chutes and holding pens to be prescribed drugs or surgery?

There are currently too many people in prison to no benefit to the state or to themselves.