←back to thread

In Maine, prisoners are thriving in remote jobs

(www.mainepublic.org)
245 points voxadam | 5 comments | 22 Sep 25 22:51 UTC | HN request time: 0.577s | source
Show context
taurath ◴[22 Sep 25 23:07 UTC] No.45340733[source]▶
If we get serious about actual rehabilitation in prisons instead of punishment there’s never been a better time to be able to learn just about anything on your own time. But we’d have to stop dehumanizing criminals. Dehumanization seems to be the trend that the US is leading on right now.

We can also be concerned about the incentives for prison labor - for profit prisons and all the many service providers that get paid a mint. Phone calls in many prisons are like $10. Labor gangs and the such. It’s just horrible how badly we treat people in the US for some middleman to make money.

replies(10): >>45340773 #>>45340824 #>>45340906 #>>45340974 #>>45340977 #>>45341060 #>>45341686 #>>45341741 #>>45342361 #>>45345007 #
mullingitover ◴[22 Sep 25 23:45 UTC] No.45341060[source]▶
There are also perverse electoral incentives to having a prison in your voting district. Generally the prisoners count toward your population numbers but they can’t vote. No pesky three fifths compromise.
replies(4): >>45341132 #>>45341134 #>>45341327 #>>45347418 #
1. NooneAtAll3 ◴[22 Sep 25 23:54 UTC] No.45341132[source]▶
how would non-voters affect voting results?
replies(4): >>45341141 #>>45341156 #>>45341164 #>>45342074 #
2. Terr_ ◴[22 Sep 25 23:54 UTC] No.45341141[source]▶
Not the results, but the weight given to the results.

Places with a greater population tend to get more representatives in a state or federal legislature, all else being equal.

This makes sense for minors (part of voter-households, to be voters later) and noncitizens (either in voter-households, or at least with freedom of travel) but it becomes a perverse-incentive when we start talking about people forced to be in a specific region by a government that put them there and won't let them leave.

3. whitexn--g28h ◴[22 Sep 25 23:56 UTC] No.45341156[source]▶
The less voters you have in your district the easier it is to gerrymander a guaranteed win.
4. mikestew ◴[22 Sep 25 23:57 UTC] No.45341164[source]▶
Voting districts: https://www.npr.org/2021/09/22/1039643346/redistricting-pris...
5. teaearlgraycold ◴[23 Sep 25 02:14 UTC] No.45342074[source]▶
In the constitution it says:

> Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons

"Free persons" in this case meant those not enslaved for life, so it includes incarcerated people. Representation apportionment also includes illegal immigrants under this clause.