“Broken beyond anyone’s imagination” – The for-profit civil commitment center.
News About Sex Offenders and Civil Commitment
“Broken beyond anyone’s imagination” is how the State of Texas’ civil commitment program was described in this Southern Poverty Law Center article that was posted this weekend.
The “civil commitment” scheme, which indefinitely confines (pretty much synonymous with “incarceration”) individuals under (a) the guise of treatment and (b) the belief that they may commit future crimes. The civil commitment “centers” (pretty much synonymous with prisons – in fact many are old prisons) are generally run by private prison companies who profit from having individuals committed to their facility, for so long as they are there.
Texas’ center has been in the spotlight this past week, but it’s hardly an isolated problem. Over 20 states have civil commitment schemes. Minnesota’s center was the subject of a lawsuit because in the decades of it’s existence, it NEVER released an inmate (remember – this is not supposed to be incarceration). Last week. Florida’s civil commitment scheme was described as a “Living Death Sentence” by Prison Legal News.
Florida’s civil commitment center is the largest in the United States (over 720 individuals). It is run by Correct Care Recovery Solutions, a spin-off company of the GEO Group, and gets $272 million in revenue from taxpayer money for running their “program”. Geo Group’s lobbyist is Ron Book and Geo Group is one of governor Rick Scott’s largest donors.
For those who believe there’s something inherently wrong with incarcerating people “for profit”, consider adding the element of incarcerating them indefinitely! Where’s the incentive for providing treatment? If they treat them and they get released, the private prisons stop profiting off that person. If they keep stockpiling more human beings, they make more money! That’s more money for Ron Book and Governor Scott (who needs to be mindful of a forthcoming senate campaign)
We are really glad to have some focus turning back towards Civil Commitment and in particular, FOR PROFIT CIVIL COMMITMENT.
Finally something from the Southern Poverty Law Center that I can agree with.
I have a friend who was released from Bay C.F (run by GEO) on 4-8-16 and was IMMEDIATELY transported to FCCC. I don’t even think his own mother was aware of this! I went on the DOC website a week after his release and found out his stated address upon release was….you guessed it, ARCADIA!
I immediately wrote him at that address but it was another MONTH before I received his reply(they hold your mail for a week)and initially he wrote about how they have more freedom, can wear civillian clothes..etc.
Then, as we began phone conversations, he mentioned things like cameras EVERYWHERE!! There are TWO sallyports you have to go through-each with cameras(even DOC doesn’t do that)
And they even have cameras IN THE SHOWERS!!!!!!
This is a BLATANT violation of human rights and these PRISONS need to be shut down!!!!
Let’s take a step now by eradicating ALL the reTHUGlicans!!!!!!!
you have no idea the psychological damage, emotional instability, and spiritual dislocation caused by “sex offender treatment”…much like the recedivism rate from psychology today that became the anchor for the registry, “treatment”, in my case, a 54 y.o. black MSW , convicted of bare hand on flat chest of 11yo ex-girl friend’s daughter, i was denied the polygraph exam by the “polygrapher” UNTIL i admitted that i had multiple victims because of the deviant sexuality inherent inmy blackness- which meant i would go to prison. this “admission” began my breakdown. these additional “victims” live on in my Supreme Court decision, even though i won my case. thus a lie continues my banishment. the “therapist” first interaction with me was to order me out of my housing and tell me her “treatment goal” for me was prison. she was supported by a probation officer who had never spoken to me but had privately told the judge i needed to go to prison. in “treatment” i was shamed, humiliated, belittled, mocked in a rabbit hole of a Kafka-esque magnitude…i touched bottom, isolated, alone, shut out the last ten years of my life…so i pray no “treatment” for them, prison for me was a relief from “treatment”..and prison is much easier than “life” on the registry..
I have a friend in Virginia who chose to return to prison to complete his sentence rather than continue to go through sex offender treatment. He told me it was a waste of time as it seemed the only purpose was to harass and find reason for violations. He completed his sentence in the ‘comfort’ of a low security facility and is now off of probation and free to travel all around the country. He is a good person who just got tired of the system playing games with him.
It’s sad that no one, in a position to do so, will take on the Reich Scott and Ron Crook prison machine. Every year we elect more cowards who do nothing but pile on more terms of probation disguised as “registry requirements.” There is even no dignity in death as the registry outlives us, shaming our descendants unto the seventh generation.
What can be done about this deplorable incarnation of human beings?Yes they broke laws but they have served their sentences and then to be thrown into this eternal prison is just inhumane. Then there is the tax payers paying to line the pockets of these “lockup for profit” people. This is truly a sad and frustrating thing happening across the U.S. today and it needs to be stopped.
Rot! Sexual predators should never be released and should be stuck in solidarity confinement until they die!
Jennifer, you obviously have no clue as to the definition of “predator” in Florida. I was not considered a predator in Virginia were my offenses occurred. I moved to Florida to care for my parents and was slapped with the ‘moniker’ of ‘predator’ in Florida. I have never committed a sex offense in Florida. I was and am not any more of a predator than the ‘man in the moon’. The victim has forgiven me and moved to Florida and lives just a few miles away. We have a great relationship. Jennifer, you are in dire need of education.
You’re right that if someone is a sexual predator, they should be locked up.
But first you have to go after the right people. And the fact is that very few of the convicted sex offenders released to the community are engaged in any more sexual offending. This extends even to those whom the registry labels “sexual predator”!
95.8% of reported sexual crimes are perpetrated by someone with no criminal record. Even higher for unreported crimes. If you are relying on a sex offender registry to protect your loved ones from predation, good luck to you.
“Bad people who are doing bad things need to be separated from society.”
Yes, all of us agree here. Thank you for that idea, and for visiting this site.