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The US Prison Industry: big business or slavery? By VICKY PELAEZ

HUMAN rights organizations, as well as political and social ones, are condemning what they are calling a new form of inhumane exploitation in the United States, where they say a prison population of up to 2 million – mostly Black and Hispanic – are working for various industries for a pittance. For the tycoons who have invested in the prison industry, it has been like finding a pot of gold. They don’t have to worry about strikes or paying unemployment insurance, vacations or comp time. All of their workers are full-time, and never arrive late or are absent because of family problems; moreover, if they don’t like the pay of 25 cents an hour and refuse to work, they are locked up in isolation cells.

There are approximately 2 million inmates in state, federal and private prisons throughout the country. According to California Prison Focus, “no other society in human history has imprisoned so many of its own citizens.” The figures show that the United States has locked up more people than any other country: a half million more than China, which has a population five times greater than the U.S. Statistics reveal that the United States holds 25% of the world’s prison population, but only 5% of the world’s people. From less than 300,000 inmates in 1972, the jail population grew to 2 million by the year 2000. In 1990 it was one million. Ten years ago there were only five private prisons in the country, with a population of 2,000 inmates; now, there are 100, with 62,000 inmates. It is expected that by the coming decade, the number will hit 360,000, according to reports.

Did you know that Elliot Abrahms, pardoned by the first President Bush for the Iran-Contra crimes he committed under the Reagan Administration, now works for the Bush White House? And has been implicated in the leak of Valerie Plame’s covert identity? Fitzgerald may well successfully prosecute senior White House officials. Insist that anyone convicted in this case be ineligible for a presidential pardon. Demand that the President not pardon any criminals in his administration who compromise our national security!

“We do not torture” (Bush, Nov. 7)
In an important clarification of President George W. Bush’s earlier statement, a top White House official refused to unequivocally rule out the use of torture… (Hadley, Nov. 13) – The fate of a House provision to ban the torture of prisoners in U.S. custody is in doubt, strongly opposed by the Administration. And don’t call it torture: the preferred talking point wording is now enhanced interrogation techniques.

This is BAD!!!

A previously unknown flaw in Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system is leaving computer users vulnerable to spyware, viruses and other programs that could overtake their machines and has sent the company scrambling to come up with a fix.

How would you like a PSP that would support not only games, pictures, music and video but also e-books and the ability to snag free emulators including MAME for most older gaming systems on the open source Linux OS? Oh yeah, all of the above for only $179?

TREASURE BOX is a free game