EDIT: Here's a cute quote from Corrections Corporation of America, one of the largest for-profit prison companies:
"any changes with respect to drugs and controlled substances or illegal immigration could affect the number of persons arrested, convicted, and sentenced, thereby potentially reducing demand for correctional facilities to house them." [0]
It's true they have a financial incentive to maintain current drug laws, but those same incentives exist for many important roles.
If someone comes up with a cure for cancer, a lot of oncologists are going to be out of a job. Does that mean that oncologists are actively suppressing cancer cures?
This might be the most useless analogy I have ever encountered. I'm sorry, I don't mean to attack you but I honestly have no idea what your point is.
Corrections Corporation of America and other private prison companies openly fight efforts to relax drugs laws. Same for prison guard unions; In 2008 the CCPoA, California's largest prison guard union, was the most active opponent of Prop 5, which would have expanded treatment for non-violent drug offenders, and reduced criminal penalties for non-violent drug crimes [1].
As far as I know, oncologists are not fighting cancer research in order to protect their careers.
I guess I'm questioning why the assumption is that they support drug laws because it makes them money. They may be supporting it for other reasons (strongly support law and order).
They have a duty to their shareholders to grow revenue and stay in business. If something threatens that, they will fight it. Like many other commercial enterprise they will spend money on lobbying to protect profits, in this case it is just particularly sickening how big the problem has become.
You just proved my point! Doctors who work in a group practice have a fiduciary duty to grow revenue. Does that mean doctors cut corners to make more money? I'm sure some do.
Do private prisons fight relaxing laws to make more money? I'm sure some do, but most don't.
> Do private prisons fight relaxing laws to make more money? I'm sure some do, but most don't.
Corrections Corporation of America does, and they account for more than 80,000 of the 133,000 private prison beds in the US. GEO Group does, and they account for about 49,000. Together they thus represents the vast majority of private prisons in the US.
Both of them are part of ALEC - a DC base lobbying group that develops model legislation that it then pushes as a means for state legislators to be "tough on crime".
http://www.republicreport.org/2012/marijuana-lobby-illegal/
http://mic.com/articles/41531/union-of-the-snake-how-califor...
EDIT: Here's a cute quote from Corrections Corporation of America, one of the largest for-profit prison companies:
"any changes with respect to drugs and controlled substances or illegal immigration could affect the number of persons arrested, convicted, and sentenced, thereby potentially reducing demand for correctional facilities to house them." [0]
[0] - http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9N...