There has been much talk about jobs leaving US shores for cheap labor overseas. It appears that corporations are outsourcing business to the incarcerated. Prisoners are now being given the opportunity to run Call Centers. So instead of the help desk being run by someone in Bangledesh, you'll have someone at LA County picking up the call.
This articlediscusses many advantages (ie English Speaking, Job Stability, etc.).
Be aware that very rural towns use the inmate population as a means to boost their census reports. Hence, a town the size of Fishkill, NY would be able to appropriate enough funding to rebuild it roads or something similar.
When I get my hands on the WSJ article that I read that discusses this issue, I'll share it with you.
Prisoners not only provide cheap labor and increase population, they also continue to slant the vote in states that make it so felons can never vote again. This has disenfranchised one out of seven black males (I think I have the right number) in Alabama. It is basicly a return to the 3/5 compromise of the constitution that let slaves = 3/5's of a person. It allows Southern states with a large disenfranchised population use their electrial votes to support racist policies. Now in case you're wondering if the not allowing felons the vote should affect whites and blacks the same, it would but only if our criminal justice system was blind. But since more blacks are arrested in the first place, more are found quilty and more are given felon convictions rather than misdemeanors than whites, it definitely is slanted. Furthermore, in places like Florida the felon list are notorious inaccurate in favor of nonblacks. All Leroy Jones, all spellings, were denied the vote if one had a felon. (It is impossible to prove a negative - such as I'm not married or not a felon). In white polling places there were computers set up but not in black ones. Furthermore, the Secretary of State admitted the list was inaccurate and still used it. Finally, this time after being forced to by the newspapers, they discovered that Hispanics were never put on the list! Read the New York Times for all the attempts to disenfranchise this election by the Republican party. It is sad that they feel they must win no matter how. Anne Lipke
Yes, I concur. You may recall that I still have friends in Tallahassee. The HQ for Jeb Bush. Some of the FAMU students were erroneously turned away from the voting stations, as their names closely resembled those of one-time felons.
Compliments of the Mandatory Minimum Sentences that many states use to lock up low-level first offenders for drug offenses. Of course these are predominantly black men. It's not even limited to poor or disenfranchised folks in the south; its hard working everyday folks that got involved with shady people who set them up to avoid getting jail time themselves. I personally know a guy who worked all his life, never had a criminal record who did a "friend" a favor and delivered a package of unknown contents to a mutual acquaintance. He found himself arrested, on trial and sentenced for 25 years with a $1M fine for drug trafficking. Its frightening, but it can happen to anyone--be careful who you do favors for or even let in your house/car!
http://www.csdp.org/news/news/mandmins.htm
http://www.famm.org/si_poi_main.htm
Whether its constitutes a profitable enterprise is questionable; the prison population in Georgia has increased over 400% and costing the taxpayers a fortune!
Regarding the voting irregularities; I've never experienced it; cant speak on it; I always have my proper documentation and ID. One thing I notice is that every poll worker I've seen here is about 80 years old and cant even see and it takes forever to get to the voting booth. Whats up with that?