The Companies Making a Profit by Abusing the Poor

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/economy/companies-making-profit-abusing-poor




In Orange County, Calif., the probation department’s “supervised electronic confinement program,” which monitors the movements of low-risk offenders, has been outsourced to a private company, Sentinel Offender Services. The company, by its own account, oversees case management, including breath alcohol and drug-testing services, “all at no cost to county taxpayers.”

Sentinel makes its money by getting the offenders on probation to pay for the company’s services. Charges can range from $35 to $100 a month.

The company boasts of having contracts with more than 200 government agencies, and it takes pride in the “development of offender funded programs where any of our services can be provided at no cost to the agency.”

Sentinel is a part of the expanding universe of poverty capitalism. In this unique sector of the economy, costs of essential government services are shifted to the poor.

[Live and Learn]

1. It is outrageous. Also the jail and prison stores that sell basic hygiene

supplies like toothbrushes, razors, shampoo and phone calls at ridiculous prices. Many people don't realize how many of what used to be considered government services are outsourced to private companies that are allowed to charge what the want in addition to collecting taxpayer money for their "services" with very little oversight or regulation.

By the Way (BTW) (acronym defined in deference to a recent DU post so as not to offend those easily offended). it is rarely the "offender" that pays the price for these outrageous expenses but the "offender's innocent family members.

[NaturalHigh]

2. Proverbs 22:22

Do not rob the poor, because they are poor.

[Live and Learn]

3. That won't influence them at all. They will blame the poor for being 'lazy',

'illegal', 'mexican', 'black', 'white trash' or whatever other pitiful excuse they can come up with.