Incarceration is a business...!

By José Blanco
The AJC brings good news today...business good news...

Take a look at the article by Patrick Fox on today's paper, "Immigration detention center to open, hire". Finally! Someone is hiring...something is opening...! But on second look...you don't want to go there!

In these hard times, when millions in this nation, in this State, are out of jobs, there is a place to go 'work'...the company is hiring all kinds of professionals. "The company will hire correctional professionals in security, facility management, accounting, health services, human resources, business management, quality assurance and education, Grant said. Openings will be posted soon on its web page...those interested can visit www.ccajob.com to apply early.", the article reads. Check it out...

While it is good news that there will be work, it is a sad note for me to 'see' what it is all about: the incarceration of people in this society is so prosperous that a large and growing business is at the heart of it. CCA, Corrections Corporation of America will benefit (further) from the new (old, now being renovated) installation. Hall County will benefit. It seems many will benefit.
CCA, for one, has this outlook in its annual report to Investors, as voiced by its CEO, J. Ferguson: "We are pleased with our 2008 fourth quarter and full year financial results as our earnings benefited from increased demand and higher per diem rates. We are also pleased that our development efforts in 2008 have provided us with an attractive inventory of beds...(get it?)... that positions us for continued leadership and growth in our industry."

When businesses everywhere are going down...CCA is doing well. When the 'market is not operating', this 'market' is increasing its volume. when prices are going down in stores all over the world (deflationary pressures), this organization can have the luxury of increasing its charges for its daily services! When business development efforts are virtually receding (since no one is buying anything...), these 'folks' kept development efforts going, and it proved well worth it!

Business development efforts...how does that work? Does that mean you search out Government figures, knock on their doors, and sell the idea of a jail for the next 20 years, 5 year segments renewable contract, and foster its occupation by ...? Doing what? What fears do these sales people thrive on? What is their sales pitch? How would you get one of these highly lucrative contracts - one that soft sells into a Georgia-immigrant-averse-county-elected official (or officials ...) a contract of this nature?

And it is so remarkably well done that the public relations 'hit' is great for investors, the market, a web page, and the local newspaper!

In case you do not know, Hall County in Georgia, as of 2006 had a population of 65.7% non-hispanic whites and 25.5% Hispanics, plus 6.8 Black and 1.6 Asian. (see Wiki...). The "H" population grew 5.94 percentage points since 2000. Does that present a hint...? a possibility why this is happening?

Gainesville - the town of poultry, and immigrants - and Hall County, will now benefit from a construction job attracting 162 jobs to house (at least) 500 ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) detainees, and in turn will receive at least $2, 000, 000 per year in the lease agreement, generating "a payroll of $7.5 million annually and ...about $350,000 in utility costs", per the article.

Who ever said that immigration is bad?

...it is really...well...sad.

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