2.3 million criminals behind bars
“The United States has less than 5 percent of the world’s population. But it has almost a quarter of the world’s prisoners.”
Read this article in NYT.
I have a really good idea for all those people in jail.
1. It costs about $40,000 a year to house an inmate. A recent tumblr discussion leads me to believe a lot of people who read this made less that that. Probably before taxes.
2. So lets start producing goods in the US again! Make the inmates do it. Pay them minimum wage and make them first cover their room and board. (What?! Minimum wage doesn’t equal $40?!)
3. Onwards. So they are making goods, which are being made in THE USA and that has to be good for the economy. And then we are spending way less tax dollars on housing these law breaking rapists and murderers and drug dealers and white collar fraudulent punks.
4. That money can go to educating children that if you do wrong, you are going to have to go to prison and work in a factory.
I haven’t ironed out the wrinkles yet, but I’ve been waiting a long time to post this. If you actually know a thing or two, please add and alert me.
Thanks, Jessica
Minimum wage is about $11,000 per year.
