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 The Hidden Cost of Incarceration (Jan. 4, 2020) |
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Reply to Comment by Social Justice is Biblically Based
Thank you so much for your comments. You make a valid point: Profiteers are profiting off the RIGHTS of prisoners.
Prisoners have a First Amendment right to communicate by mail. To exercise that right, prisoners pay inflated rates for pens, paper, postage, etc.
Although prison officials call visitation a "privilege", many Courts have recognized a limited RIGHT of prisoners to have visits. As you point out, there's no shortage of greedy companies seeking to profit from visits.
Although prison officials call phone access a "privilege", Courts have also said that prisoners have a RIGHT to reasonable telephone access. As we've discussed many times, corporations are really profiting off of that right.
Prisoners have a constitutional RIGHT to adequate medical care. In most states the so call medical care is provided by a for-profit corporation that puts profits over patient care.
So now you very valid point has left me thinking: When does a "right" cease to be a right?? Are we allowing rights to be slowly eroded without realizing it?? And if we must pay money - especially inflated prices - to exercise a right, is it still really a right??
You've just given me another major legal project.
Those interested in a campaign to end prison profiteering can visit: [www.StopPrisonProfiteers.org]
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