1) The discourse of "private prisons" carries a subtle anti-abolitionist character, since it implies expressio unius that state prisons are comparatively less offensive, or more tolerable in some way. While state-run prisons may be marginally better in some cases, but are still completely unacceptable modes of oppression.
If you feel the need for a descriptor, "capitalist prisons" is a good choice.
Another strong alternative is saying "prison-slavery" which is grammatical in most places you would say prison.
2) Another big reason the police state viciously opposes marijuana legalization, and why decriminalization is no substitute, is because cops constantly used the pretense of "smelling marijuana" to infringe your 4th amendment right to be free of arbitrary search and seizure without a warrant. It may as well be repealed from the constitution at this point. Both because it is so easily waived, and because judges rubber-stamp warrants anyway.
3) Usually people arrested for marijuana charges are not sentenced to prison unless they have some other charges or enhancing factors. There are exceptions, but the main revenue generator is not prison-slave labor, but rather the endless cycle of fines, fees, court costs, cash bail, and so on.
The main driver is the offer of probation or some kind of court supervision, like drug class -- both require additional, recurring fees. They get you on that, because you think '1 year of probation and then expungement, wow, that's a lot better than jail time!' Especially if you are stuck in jail, because you can't afford cash bail, and a guilty plea + probation means you will be released.
But what they don't explain is how you become a second-class citizen, agreeing to waive most of your civil rights. Your ability to succeed is completely hit or miss based on the demeanor of the probation officer assigned to you. If he is a prick, you're fucked. If he is laid back (and some are), you might be all right so long as you don't push your luck.
They can keep your churning you in and out of jail on technical violations of probation terms that can be so excessively onerous that everyone violates them in practice, making your freedom is instantly revokable at the whim of your probation officer. Or any cop: if you are on probation, merely being arrested will likely cause probation to be revoked. Not upon conviction, but the mere arrest, no matter how absurd or weak. An here you are not even allowed to make bail, you are forced to wait in jail until you can settle the case. This is all to coerce you to plead guilty to new charges, so you can be issued more fines, fees, longer probation, on and on.
This also can begin a long-term cycle of targeted harassment. Any cop that runs your plates and see you have a record and are on probation, they can pull you over, search your vehicle (you have "voluntarily" waived your rights to say no), force you out of your car, handcuff you, make you lay on the ground, anything to humiliate you, and you must obsequiously cower and submit to complete their power over whether you sleep in your bed that night, or in a concrete dungeon for the next weeks or months or years.
For an example how one may never escape this cycle of criminalization: check out my post analyzing the criminal "career" of the Tulsa man who shot two cops some months ago, all stemming from an incident when he was 18, where he was allegedly drunk and committed the most grievous crime of all: contempt of cop.
A couple thoughts here:
1) The discourse of "private prisons" carries a subtle anti-abolitionist character, since it implies expressio unius that state prisons are comparatively less offensive, or more tolerable in some way. While state-run prisons may be marginally better in some cases, but are still completely unacceptable modes of oppression.
If you feel the need for a descriptor, "capitalist prisons" is a good choice.
Another strong alternative is saying "prison-slavery" which is grammatical in most places you would say prison.
2) Another big reason the police state viciously opposes marijuana legalization, and why decriminalization is no substitute, is because cops constantly used the pretense of "smelling marijuana" to infringe your 4th amendment right to be free of arbitrary search and seizure without a warrant. It may as well be repealed from the constitution at this point. Both because it is so easily waived, and because judges rubber-stamp warrants anyway.
3) Usually people arrested for marijuana charges are not sentenced to prison unless they have some other charges or enhancing factors. There are exceptions, but the main revenue generator is not prison-slave labor, but rather the endless cycle of fines, fees, court costs, cash bail, and so on.
The main driver is the offer of probation or some kind of court supervision, like drug class -- both require additional, recurring fees. They get you on that, because you think '1 year of probation and then expungement, wow, that's a lot better than jail time!' Especially if you are stuck in jail, because you can't afford cash bail, and a guilty plea + probation means you will be released.
But what they don't explain is how you become a second-class citizen, agreeing to waive most of your civil rights. Your ability to succeed is completely hit or miss based on the demeanor of the probation officer assigned to you. If he is a prick, you're fucked. If he is laid back (and some are), you might be all right so long as you don't push your luck.
They can keep your churning you in and out of jail on technical violations of probation terms that can be so excessively onerous that everyone violates them in practice, making your freedom is instantly revokable at the whim of your probation officer. Or any cop: if you are on probation, merely being arrested will likely cause probation to be revoked. Not upon conviction, but the mere arrest, no matter how absurd or weak. An here you are not even allowed to make bail, you are forced to wait in jail until you can settle the case. This is all to coerce you to plead guilty to new charges, so you can be issued more fines, fees, longer probation, on and on.
This also can begin a long-term cycle of targeted harassment. Any cop that runs your plates and see you have a record and are on probation, they can pull you over, search your vehicle (you have "voluntarily" waived your rights to say no), force you out of your car, handcuff you, make you lay on the ground, anything to humiliate you, and you must obsequiously cower and submit to complete their power over whether you sleep in your bed that night, or in a concrete dungeon for the next weeks or months or years.
For an example how one may never escape this cycle of criminalization: check out my post analyzing the criminal "career" of the Tulsa man who shot two cops some months ago, all stemming from an incident when he was 18, where he was allegedly drunk and committed the most grievous crime of all: contempt of cop.