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Comment by spindritf | Hacker News Reader

> Some states, like Indiana have managed to keep prices low at around $14,000 per inmate. While states like New York pay around $60,000 to keep its citizens behind bars.

OK, but what's the benefit? What is the damage to society and economy an average criminal causes over the course of a year? How much in property, lost trust, mental and physical injuries, increased spending on security, etc. does it cost to have the guy on the loose?

How much of that benefit are prisons eating? I'd love to see an analysis but my guess would be that housing an inmate for ~30k is a bargain.

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> What is the damage to society and economy an average criminal causes over the course of a year?

Those incarcerated for drug use could potentially be making the government a profit. The only negative effects on society are associated with the supply line, not the individual's behaviour. If some drugs were legalised the net benefit to society would be positive, increased income via taxation and improved relations between the police and the public(a large portion of which are drugs users).

As someone else already commented, the conditions in Texas prisons run by corporations like CCA aren't exactly the greatest. The state of Texas currently pays, on average, $21k per prisoner. Keeping the prices low at $14k per inmate in states like Indiana and Kentucky could potentially be creating additional costs to the state in the form of recidivism, and other social problems. We didn't find conclusive data (comprehensive hard dollar figures)on this but answering your question is the next step.

Well, if you want to ask those kinds of questions, then you have to start asking, how much does it cost society to let some pothead remain free? Because that's another aspect of this problem: incarcerating people for victimless crimes.

What, exactly, is "an average criminal"? There are laws against causing damage to property that's not yours. No one is saying let all the criminals out. Just stop putting people in jail for hurting absolutely nobody except themselves. 30k a year is a bargain? That's a laugh. regular people live on much less than 30k a year in furnished houses, why should an 8x8 cell and one guard per n inmates cost more than a large number of people make in a year? Why do you and I foot the bill for their medical and education costs? I can hardly afford my own education, much less an education for inmates. If you're not disturbed or angry, or at least critical of the current situation, you should consider a reappraisal of your view on what a bargain is.

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