Social Sciences » Urban History
Immigration prisons a growth industry?
Would a town ever get so desperate that it would resort to building a private prison to create jobs and therefore a tax roll to pay for city services such as police and fire? Apparently the answer is yes as a new excellent piece of NYT journalism shows.
Basing an economy upon incarceration of non-violent offenders is, I think, about the worst way imaginable to sustain a city. Here's a suggestion: why doesn't Central Falls, R.I. go out of business? It could merge with another town. Remember the two parts of the title of Jane Jacobs' classic - "The DEATH and life of Great American Cities?" Cities die, that's ok. But killing it like this is crazy.
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