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Publicly Traded Justice, Samuel Ludington

University of Miami Business Law Review

Private prisons, like hotels, are most profitable when they are at maximum occupancy and their guests stay for longer periods of time. Because the business-model for private prisons is predicated on incarceration rates dictated by public policy, one would presume that private prison corporations expend great resources to advocating for stricter criminal laws and sentencing. This note explores the role of political lobbying and campaign contributions of private prison corporations to see if a correlative relationship exists between their advocacy and stricter crime laws. Part I of the note provides a history of private prisons in America and explores the …