gAlienLifeformJul 24, 2023

Texas charges prisoners 50% more for water as heat wave continues

https://lemmy.world/post/2085770

Texas charges prisoners 50% more for water as heat wave continues - Lemmy.world

Show threadEhListJul 24, 2023
Why are prisoners paying for water?
Show threadTedescheJul 25, 2023
Read the article. They’re paying for bottled water. They have access to regular tap water, but some people are saying the tap water in these very old prisons isn’t fit for drinking.
Show threadmoitoiJul 25, 2023
Are these prisons private or managed by private companies?
Show threadTedescheJul 25, 2023
I don’t think the article specifically says, but most prisons in the U.S. are privately owned. I can only imagine that’s more the case in Texas than it is the nation as a whole.
Show threadmrspaz
According to this, Texas has ~7% of their prison population in private facilities. The national rate is ~8%.
Private Prisons in the United States – The Sentencing Project

Twenty-seven states and the federal government incarcerated 90,873 people in private prisons in 2022, representing 8% of the total state and federal prison population.

The Sentencing Project
Jul 25, 2023 at 6:35pmWeb
Show threadTedescheJul 25, 2023
Hrm. Well, I’m happily surprised to be wrong on that.
Show threadthepianistfroggollumJul 26, 2023
You’re only technically wrong. They’re for profit in all but name.