A caller to Politics Done Right complained about private prisons having contracts that require a certain fill rate, or else the county is penalized. I used it to show why the private sector should neither be in jails nor healthcare.
Jails and healthcare should not be in the private sector.
Podcasts (Video — Audio)
Privatizing essential public services such as healthcare and the penal system has been contentious for decades. Recently, a caller named Cesar highlighted a critical aspect of this debate, highlighting the inherent conflicts in the private sector’s involvement in these areas. This conversation illuminates the problematic nature of privatization in sectors where public welfare should be paramount.
Cesar’s observation about the contract between a government and a corporation to run its jails underlines a disturbing trend: the commodification of incarceration. The stipulation of a minimum inmate quota as part of this contract is emblematic of a system prioritizing profit over justice and rehabilitation. This setup operates under a business model similar to a hotel, where profitability is contingent on occupancy rates. However, unlike hotels, jails are not a service industry; they are a part of the criminal justice system, meant to serve societal needs, not corporate balance sheets.
The fundamental issue with privatized jails is creating a perverse incentive structure. Decreasing crime rates or successful rehabilitation efforts translate directly into reduced profits for these corporations. This scenario creates an inherent conflict of interest, where the societal goal of reducing crime and rehabilitating offenders clashes with the business interests of these corporations. In essence, a system designed to punish and rehabilitate is co-opted into one that needs a constant supply of inmates to sustain its profitability. This model does not incentivize reducing recidivism or investing in rehabilitation programs that could benefit society.
This phenomenon is not limited to the criminal justice system. The healthcare sector faces a similar dilemma when placed in the hands of private corporations. The primary aim of a private healthcare system is to generate profits. This goal often leads to a focus on treating illness rather than preventing it, as ongoing treatments are more profitable than cures or preventive measures. The reliance on a constant stream of sick individuals to maintain profitability starkly contrasts the fundamental ethos of healthcare, which is to improve health and well-being.
Privatizing jails and healthcare via Medicare Advantage represents a broader trend of commodifying public service areas critical to societal well-being. In both cases, the profit motive can significantly distort the aims and outcomes of these services. Where the community’s needs drive the public sector, the private sector’s drive for profit can lead to outcomes that are antithetical to public welfare.
Moreover, the privatization of these sectors often results in a lack of accountability and transparency. Private corporations are primarily accountable to their shareholders, not the public. This situation can lead to decisions that favor profits over public interest, and without the same level of public oversight, these decisions can go unchecked.
The conversation with Cesar sheds light on the profound problems of privatizing essential public services like healthcare and jails. These issues stem from the fundamental mismatch between the objectives of private corporations, which are inherently profit-driven, and the goals of public services, which should be centered around public welfare. This conflict leads to a system that often works against the very objectives it is supposed to achieve, be it justice and rehabilitation in the case of the penal system or health and well-being in the case of healthcare. It underscores the need for a re-evaluation of the role of privatization in critical public sectors, advocating for a model that prioritizes public interest over private profit.
Viewers are encouraged to subscribe and join the conversation for more insightful commentary and to support progressive messages. Together, we can populate the internet with progressive messages that represent the true aspirations of most Americans.
Support Our Politics Done Right Store
Viewers are encouraged to subscribe and join the conversation for more insightful commentary and to support progressive messages. Together, we can populate the internet with progressive messages that represent the true aspirations of most Americans.
