Ted Rall for December 19, 2011
Transcript:
Prison for Profit. Vampire capitalism at its finest: Riverside County, California, will charge inmates $142 per night they spend in jail, Next: Airline-syle fees for those who can afford. First-night special! Lube: $20. Do your time- with your own kind. It's safe and easy. Assignment to bloc owned by your ethnic group: $500 avoid Nazis skinheads: $750. (Man: Our bloc shivs each other over disagreements about hipster music and organic food.) Do your stretch all stretched out. Extra 6 square feet of cell space: $30/night. They didn't acquit. But it oughta fit! Prison uniform that fits +/- 2 sizes: $10/night. Express lane gold platinum service: Quick access to lawyer, no-snitch cellmates. Favorable treatment by parole board. Whites: $20,000. Latinos: $50,000. Blacks: $100,000. Priority rescue during riots.
Actually, I like the “make ’em pay” idea, especially for drunk drivers, lock ’em up and make ’em pay, and financial “wizards” like Madoff who should be paying for their own incarceration. Bernie, about $40,000 a night.