Category: Odd + Funny Author : Duncan Riley Posted: February 12, 2009
Tags : america, conspiracy theory, sad, WTF
This story is every conspiracy theorists wet dream.
Two Pennsylvania Judges have pleaded guilty to accepting more than $2.6 million from a private youth detention center in return for giving hundreds of kiddies longer sentences.
Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan of the Court of Common Pleas in Luzerne County admit that they took payoffs from PA Childcare and a sister company, Western PA Childcare, between 2003 and 2006.
The company running the youth detention center receives money from the government to cover the cost of incarceration, so the more kiddies in detention, and the longer they were locked up, the more money the company received.
According to Reuters, teenagers who came before Ciavarella in juvenile court were often sentenced to detention centers for minor offenses that would typically have been classified as misdemeanors. Examples include a 17-year-old boy was sentenced to three months’ detention for being in the company of another minor caught shoplifting, and similar sentences for “simple assault” resulting from a schoolyard scuffle that would normally draw a warning.
Conahan and Ciavarella face up to seven years in prison, a small price given the countless lives they may have destroyed.
![[Graph] What women look for in a man](http://www.inquisitr.com/wp-content/2011/02/look-for-in-a-man-100x100.png)
![[Graph] Lethal animals by location](http://www.inquisitr.com/wp-content/2011/04/graph-lethal-animals-100x100.png)
Feb 13, 2009
7 years in jail, maybe. They will probably get less…the system tends to protect its own. What a joke.
Feb 15, 2009
A “SINGLE VOICE PROJECT” is the official name of the petition sponsored by: The National Public Service Council To Abolish Private Prisons (NPSCTAPP)
THIS PETITION SEEKS TO ABOLISH ALL PRIVATE PRISONS IN THE UNITED STATES, (or any place subject to its jurisdiction)
The National Public Service Council To Abolish Private Prisons (NPSCTAPP) is a grass roots organization driven by a single objective. We want the United States government to reclaim sole authority for state and federal prisons on US soil.
We want the United States Congress to immediately rescind all state and federal contracts that permit private prisons “for profit” to exist in the United States, or any place subject to its jurisdiction. We understand that the problems that currently plague our government, its criminal justice system and in particular, the state & federal bureau of prisons (and most correctional and rehabilitation facilities) are massive. However, it is our solemn belief that the solutions for prison reform will remain unattainable and virtually impossible as long as private prisons for profit are permitted to operate in America.
Prior to the past month, and the fiasco of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG, Lehman Brothers, and now the “Big Three” American Automobile manufacturers, the NPSCTAPP has always felt compelled to highlight the “moral Bottom line” when it comes to corrections and privatization. Although, we remain confounded by the reality that our government has allowed our justice system to be operated by private interests. The NPSCTAPP philosophy has always been “justice” should not be for sale at any price. It is our belief that the inherent and most fundamental responsibility of the criminal justice system should not be shirked, or “jobbed-out.” This is not the same as privatizing the post office or some trash pick up service in the community. There has to be a loss of meaning and purpose when an inmate looks at a guard’s uniform and instead of seeing an emblem that reads State Department of Corrections or Federal Bureau of Prisons, he sees one that says: “Atlas Prison Corporation.”
Let’s assume that the real danger of privatization is not some innate inhumanity on the part of its practitioners but rather the added financial incentives that reward inhumanity. The same logic that motivates companies to operate prisons more efficiently also encourages them to cut corners at the expense of workers, prisoners and the public. Every penny they do not spend on food, medical care or training for guards is a dime they can pocket. What happens when the pennies pocketed are not enough for the shareholders? Who will bailout the private prison industry when they hold the government and the American people hostage with the threat of financial failure…“bankruptcy?” What was unimaginable a month ago merits serious consideration today. State and Federal prison programs originate from government design, and therefore, need to be maintained by the government. It’s time to restore the principles and the vacated promise of our judicial system.
John F. Kennedy said, “The time to repair the roof is while the sun is shinning”. Well the sun may not be shinning but, it’s not a bad time to begin repair on a dangerous roof that is certain to fall…. because, “Incarcerating people for profit is, in a word WRONG”
There is an urgent need for the good people of this country to emerge from the shadows of cynicism, indifference, apathy and those other dark places that we migrate to when we are overwhelmed by frustration and the loss of hope.
It is our hope that you will support the NPSCTAPP with a show of solidarity by signing our petition. We intend to assemble a collection of one million signatures, which will subsequently be attached to a proposition for consideration. This proposition will be presented to both, the Speaker Of The House Of Representatives (Nancy Pelosi) and the United States Congress.
Please Help Us. We Need Your Support. Help Us Spread The Word About This Monumental And Courageous Challenge To Create Positive Change. Place The Link To The Petition On Your Website! Pass It On!
The SINGLE VOICE PETITION and the effort to abolish private “for profit” prisons is the sole intent of NPSCTAPP. Our project does not contain any additional agendas. We have no solutions or suggestions regarding prison reform. However, we are unyielding in our belief that the answers to the many problems which currently plague this nation’s criminal justice system and its penal system in particular, cannot and will not be found within or assisted by the private “for profit” prison business. The private “for profit” prison business has a stranglehold on our criminal justice system. Its vice-like grip continues to choke the possibility of justice, fairness, and responsibility from both state and federal systems.
These new slave plantations are not the answer!
For more information please visit: http://www.npsctapp.blogsppot.com or email: williamthomas@exconciliation.com
To sign the petition please visit: http://www.petitiononline.com/gufree2/petition….
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
William Thomas
National Community Outreach Facilitator
The National Public Service Council To Abolish Private Prisons
P.O. Box 156423
San Francisco, California 94115
Feb 28, 2009
A “SINGLE VOICE PROJECT” is the official name of the petition sponsored by: The National Public Service Council To Abolish Private Prisons (NPSCTAPP)
THIS PETITION SEEKS TO ABOLISH ALL PRIVATE PRISONS IN THE UNITED STATES, (or any place subject to its jurisdiction)
The National Public Service Council To Abolish Private Prisons (NPSCTAPP) is a grass roots organization driven by a single objective. We want the United States government to reclaim sole authority for state and federal prisons on US soil.
We want the United States Congress to immediately rescind all state and federal contracts that permit private prisons “for profit” to exist in the United States, or any place subject to its jurisdiction. We understand that the problems that currently plague our government, its criminal justice system and in particular, the state & federal bureau of prisons (and most correctional and rehabilitation facilities) are massive. However, it is our solemn belief that the solutions for prison reform will remain unattainable and virtually impossible as long as private prisons for profit are permitted to operate in America.
Prior to the past month, and the fiasco of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG, Lehman Brothers, and now the “Big Three” American Automobile manufacturers, the NPSCTAPP has always felt compelled to highlight the “moral Bottom line” when it comes to corrections and privatization. Although, we remain confounded by the reality that our government has allowed our justice system to be operated by private interests. The NPSCTAPP philosophy has always been “justice” should not be for sale at any price. It is our belief that the inherent and most fundamental responsibility of the criminal justice system should not be shirked, or “jobbed-out.” This is not the same as privatizing the post office or some trash pick up service in the community. There has to be a loss of meaning and purpose when an inmate looks at a guard’s uniform and instead of seeing an emblem that reads State Department of Corrections or Federal Bureau of Prisons, he sees one that says: “Atlas Prison Corporation.”
Let’s assume that the real danger of privatization is not some innate inhumanity on the part of its practitioners but rather the added financial incentives that reward inhumanity. The same logic that motivates companies to operate prisons more efficiently also encourages them to cut corners at the expense of workers, prisoners and the public. Every penny they do not spend on food, medical care or training for guards is a dime they can pocket. What happens when the pennies pocketed are not enough for the shareholders? Who will bailout the private prison industry when they hold the government and the American people hostage with the threat of financial failure…“bankruptcy?” What was unimaginable a month ago merits serious consideration today. State and Federal prison programs originate from government design, and therefore, need to be maintained by the government. It’s time to restore the principles and the vacated promise of our judicial system.
John F. Kennedy said, “The time to repair the roof is while the sun is shinning”. Well the sun may not be shinning but, it’s not a bad time to begin repair on a dangerous roof that is certain to fall…. because, “Incarcerating people for profit is, in a word WRONG”
There is an urgent need for the good people of this country to emerge from the shadows of cynicism, indifference, apathy and those other dark places that we migrate to when we are overwhelmed by frustration and the loss of hope.
It is our hope that you will support the NPSCTAPP with a show of solidarity by signing our petition. We intend to assemble a collection of one million signatures, which will subsequently be attached to a proposition for consideration. This proposition will be presented to both, the Speaker Of The House Of Representatives (Nancy Pelosi) and the United States Congress.
Please Help Us. We Need Your Support. Help Us Spread The Word About This Monumental And Courageous Challenge To Create Positive Change. Place The Link To The Petition On Your Website! Pass It On!
The SINGLE VOICE PETITION and the effort to abolish private “for profit” prisons is the sole intent of NPSCTAPP. Our project does not contain any additional agendas. We have no solutions or suggestions regarding prison reform. However, we are unyielding in our belief that the answers to the many problems which currently plague this nation’s criminal justice system and its penal system in particular, cannot and will not be found within or assisted by the private “for profit” prison business. The private “for profit” prison business has a stranglehold on our criminal justice system. Its vice-like grip continues to choke the possibility of justice, fairness, and responsibility from both state and federal systems.
These new slave plantations are not the answer!
For more information please visit: http://www.npsctapp.blogsppot.com or email: williamthomas@exconciliation.com
To sign the petition please visit: http://www.petitiononline.com/gufree2/petition….
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
William Thomas
National Community Outreach Facilitator
The National Public Service Council To Abolish Private Prisons
P.O. Box 156423
San Francisco, California 94115
Mar 8, 2009
Check this out …
3:55 04Mar09 -FUND VIEW-Artio manager turns to jailers as recession bites
By Edward Krudy
NEW YORK, March 4 (Reuters) – A desperate search for recession-beating stocks has one fund manager hoping to profit from crime — the legal way.
Keith Walter of Artio Global Investors sees growing value in shares of Correction Corporation of America <CXW.N> and GEO Group <GEO.N> among the largest public companies in the prison management business.
As the recession deepens, he says, prisons will fill up.
“We are looking for anti-cyclical stocks. For example, companies that manage prisons for the government. Unfortunately there will be an uptake in crime (during the recession) and an increase in prison beds,” Walter said in a recent interview.
“There is a tremendous demand for prison beds,” Walter said. These companies “have a very stable business and a very attractive valuations of less than ten times earnings.”
Walter manages $52 million for Artio Global Investors, a subsidiary of the Swiss-based Julius Baer Group.
So far in 2009, shares of Correction Corp and GEO have underperformed the broader market, with GEO down 30 percent, and Corrections Corporation of America off 38 percent.
The pair are also trading near their cheapest levels in a year, with price-to-earnings ratios of 9.72 and 8.82, respectively.
Walter's prison strategy is part of a wider scheme to focus on defensive stocks, including consistent brand name companies in sectors such as consumer staples and healthcare. His largest holdings are Nestle SA <NESN.VX>, Johnson & Johnson <JNJ.N>, Coca-Cola Co <KO.N> and Wal-Mart Stores Inc <WMT.N>.
However, if the stock is not strictly anti-cyclical — meaning it benefits in a recession when other stocks fall — he prefers companies that maintain a healthy dividend.
“In the 1950s, dividends were a big part of an investor's equity return. Going back to that world, you almost have to be a bond investor,” said Walter.
Walter estimates his strategy will bring a yearly return of 6.0 percent to 6.5 percent, compared with just the 3 percent to 3.7 percent yield on long-term government bonds. It helps that he does not hold any U.S. financial stocks whose dividends have been slashed to the bone.
In a world where previously safe bets like Bank of America <BAC.N> and Citigroup <C.N> have shed more than 90 percent of their value in the last year, investors are starting to see the advantage of a steady albeit low percentage-rate return.
The pizazz of stellar growth and large capital gains is over for at least the next three to five years, says Walter. While fund managers who sold at the right time last year were the winners, he notes this year it will be those who pick the safest stocks.
But he admits no strategy is an entirely safe bet in the present climate. The S&P Health Care index <.GSPA> dipped 5.1 percent last week after the government announced plans to expand healthcare coverage that may sap profits at private insurers and drug producers.
However, if government policy can hit stocks, it can also help them. With a large chunk of global economic stimulus spending aimed at infrastructure developments, Walter has his eye on stocks that could benefit from this state-sponsored largesse, such as construction and engineering firms AECOM <ACM.N> and URS Corp <URS.N>.
“There is a lot of money going to flow into the economy to build bridges and roads. There are five or six names in the electricity and bridge-building space,” said Walter.
((Additional reporting by Deepa Seetharaman; editing by Dan Grebler, Gary Crosse)) ((Edward.Krudy@thomsonreuters.com; +1-646-223-6314; Reuters Messaging: edward.krudy.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: USA FUND/ARTIO
Apr 14, 2009
Tsk! tsk! I bet they are blaming the economy for this one, too? I made such comments because I've heard too many excuses to do irrational things already some of them are blaming the economy crisis and some of the excuses are because they can.