## The Racket of Recidivism

The United States imprisons more of its own citizens per capita than any other nation on Earth — more than Russia, China, or North Korea. This is not a coincidence of higher crime rates; it is the mathematically predictable outcome of commodifying incarceration.

### FAQ

**Q: How do private prison companies profit from locking more people up?**
A: The Lock-Up Quota Contract. GEO Group and CoreCivic sign sweetheart contracts with state governments that contain unbelievable clauses called "Lockup Quotas" or "Bed Guarantees." These clauses legally require the state to pay for 90% of the prison's capacity, *whether or not those beds are filled.* If the state fails to deliver enough prisoners to fill the quota, the taxpayer pays an empty-bed penalty. This creates a direct institutional incentive to imprison more people for longer periods. Once this direct profit motive was established, the companies spent millions lobbying for mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenses, three-strikes laws, and aggressive immigration enforcement. The business strategy is explicit: lobby for maximum criminalization, win contracts with lockup quotas, cut operational costs by reducing food quality and healthcare access, and collect guaranteed taxpayer money. It converts mass incarceration into a reliable stream of arbitrage profit.