Why is that people of minority are
overrepresented in private prisons?
It is because of the private prison's contractual provision that
health—and therefore age—tends to serve as a proxy for race.
Also, age and health serve as dual proxies for race when explaining
the persistent racial disparities in private versus public facilities
with similar population profiles. Because elderly and/or geriatric
prisoners tend to cost twice more to incarcerate, private prison
management companies responsible for providing health services exempt
themselves contractually from accepting and housing prisoners with
chronic medical conditions as well as those whose health care costs
will be “above average.” In other words, "proxy"
provides how unconscious bias can often influence decision making. Up until the mid 20th
century, two-thirds of the US prison population were non-Hispanic
white. Today, that’s
totally inverted — about a third of all prisoners around the
country are white and around two-thirds of minorities. What do you see as the single
most important thing Americans can do to make the justice system
more equitable for all Americans?
