Great post and while I have witnessed black people being profiled and harassed, it also happens to white people. You are spot on about many people preferring prison/jail to the real world. It gives them structure, steady meals, shelter and camaraderie that they often cannot get on the outside.
I saw many people get released and do something just so they could come back to jail. That is sad and is a local problem more than a federal one.
Private jails and prisons are also morally wrong. It's not a coincidence that they are often found in poor areas. A lot of poor communities have corrupt legal systems where judges, prosecutors and public defenders are all in business together and their primary function is to keep people in the system to make money for the community. Putnam County, FL is a big example of this. The local saying is "Come on vacation, leave on probation."
Responsibility is still on law breakers but the way laws are enforced is suspect. I spent half a year in jail because my 4 year old daughter got out of the house. I was using the bathroom the first time, she figured out how to undo the latch and ran down the dirt road on our cul-de-sac. A neighbor about 800 feet down the road called the cops even though he knew us. I realized she was gone and ran down the dirt road to see cops there...it was only a few minutes but they constantly patrolled the area so response was quick. Was given a warning and told DCF would visit. I installed small alarms on the windows and moved the latch to the top of the door.
A couple weeks later(after working all night) I came home to my wife taking my son to school. I locked and bolted the door and went to my room. My daughter was watching cartoons at the end of my bed and fell asleep. I dozed off and woke up to cops coming in my bedroom with guns drawn asking about my daughter. She had moved a dining room chair, got her old potty chair out of my closet and was just able to reach the latch to go look for her mother. She even showed the police and DCF workers what happened. DCF said I had done nothing wrong and pointed out measures I'd taken. She was found by the same neighbors house.
Cops didnt care. 6 months in jail, $2500 in court costs/fines, a no contact order wit my daughter and 3 years probation. In the end, I'm the adult responsible and just glad she was safe but I got completely screwed by a corrupt legal system that takes advantage of poor people, especially minorities.
