The price rise hit prisoners seeking bottled water as temperatures eclipse the 100 degree mark in unairconditioned facilities. The state vendor asked to raise the price and two state agencies signed off.
Read the article. They’re paying for bottled water. They have access to regular tap water, but some people are saying the tap water in these very old prisons isn’t fit for drinking.
I don’t think the article specifically says, but most prisons in the U.S. are privately owned. I can only imagine that’s more the case in Texas than it is the nation as a whole.
So how can we continue to pretend we have rights when these “rights” can be taken away from us at any time, on the whim of an evil police officer or judge or DA, and we are turned into chattel slaves when they do? We don’t seriously have rights if we actually can be legally turned into chattel slaves at any time for any reason.
Careful. You’re edging into the “small government” territory that sounds great but really means less food safety and building inspection and similar services, and more stuff taken private. It’s not what we want for sure.
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Read the article. They’re paying for bottled water. They have access to regular tap water, but some people are saying the tap water in these very old prisons isn’t fit for drinking.
Are these prisons private or managed by private companies?
I don’t think the article specifically says, but most prisons in the U.S. are privately owned. I can only imagine that’s more the case in Texas than it is the nation as a whole.
Most prisons in the US are not privately owned.
8% of prisoners in the US are in private prisons.
Public prisons are also uniquely terrible. Both need dramatic reforms (at minimum, imo)
https://nicic.gov/weblink/private-prisons-united-states-2021
According to this, Texas has ~7% of their prison population in private facilities. The national rate is ~8%.
Hrm. Well, I’m happily surprised to be wrong on that.
You’re only technically wrong. They’re for profit in all but name.
You weren’t aware in some states it’s legal to charge the prisoner for their stay? No, that’s not a joke.
They aren’t really prisoners, they’re slaves really.
They’re slaves literally, the 13th amendment quite literally bans slavery except in the case of “lawful” confinement.
So how can we continue to pretend we have rights when these “rights” can be taken away from us at any time, on the whim of an evil police officer or judge or DA, and we are turned into chattel slaves when they do? We don’t seriously have rights if we actually can be legally turned into chattel slaves at any time for any reason.
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Yeah less state intervention is what we need
Careful. You’re edging into the “small government” territory that sounds great but really means less food safety and building inspection and similar services, and more stuff taken private. It’s not what we want for sure.
Didn’t knew we already had a small government then.
Depending on whom you vote for, they’ll either shrink it where it hurts or grow it back out again. Your choice.