Profiting Off Prisoners: How Private Prisons Are Profiting

The prison system seems full of mystery. Not many people understand the workings behind the scenes, such as the difference between private and public prisons, and the people that profit from them. www.topcriminaljusticedegrees.com has created an infographic entitled “Profiting Off Prisoners” that details the financial and static numbers behind the private prison system.

The United States began toying with the idea of private prisons back in 1984. From 1990 to 2009, the inmate population housed in private prisons increased more than 1,600%. The two largest private prison companies, the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), and the GEO Group, Inc., have generated over 3.4 billion dollars. This is more than the GDP of Greenland and the Virgin Islands combined. The CEO of the GEO Group, Inc., Damon T. Hininger, netted 3.7 million in 2011 as his executive compensation, and CCA CEO George C. Zaloey made 5.7 million in 2011.

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