Prisons Prime Testing Ground for Dehumanizing Hi-Tech "Advances"
A new form of exploitation, known as "stakeholder capitalism," is already
being tested in many places around the world and prisons are among the main
targets for its implementation, as they provide an ideal and literally
captive market for its proof of concept.
by Raul Diego
February 18th, 2021
Mint Press
By Raul Diego
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is coming under fire again from Democratic
lawmakers, as well as from the American Postal Workers Union, who are
calling for President Joe Biden to pave the way for DeJoy's removal after
the Trump-appointee announced higher mailing fees and logistical changes
that could further slow down mail. The US Postal Service (USPS) has already
suffered a more than 50% drop in on-time arrivals for first-class mail
deliveries, according to the service's own data.
Nevertheless, thanks to the ubiquitous presence of high-speed internet, the
personal communications of most Americans don't seem to be fundamentally
affected by the problems at USPS. Excluding the mail-in-ballots controversy
leading up to the 2020 presidential election, the majority of the country
remains little more than a curious spectator in what seems to be the
inevitable demise of legacy long-distance message-carrying methods in the
midst of a blossoming technological wonderland.
But, at least one key American demographic could well prove to be the canary
in the coal mine in terms of the implications of a fully digitized mail
system. The 2.3 million people currently incarcerated in America's prison
systems could be on the verge of altogether losing the privilege of
receiving physical mail from friends and family if the Biden administration
does nothing to stop the growing trend of handing over prison mail
operations to companies like Smart Communications and its "Postal Mail
Elimination" services.
A long-running problem
Promising to do away with the "longest running problems and security
loopholes" of America's prison mail systems, the privately-held corporation
offers a 'free' service called MailGuard to state corrections facilities and
county jails across the country.
MailGuard "filters" physical mail sent to inmates and delivers electronic
versions to the prisoners via their proprietary SmartTablet or SmartKiosk
platforms, according to Smart Communications's website.
Among the most troubling issues surrounding such technologies is the risk
they pose to prisoners' Sixth Amendment right to carry on confidential
communications with their legal counsel. In addition, the fees associated
with the use of these services for inmates can constitute a violation of
federal laws, which permit prisoners to send legal correspondence
"regardless of their ability to pay for postage."
Prison Industrial Complex: Report Reveals Shocking Growth of US Prisoner
Exploitation
A new report from prison abolition group Worth Rises exposes the extent to
which corporate America profits from US incarceration.
MintPress News | Alan Macleod | Dec 18, 2020
Both DeJoy's machinations at the USPS and the rise of private corporations
offering to parse and deliver mail to prisoners via tablets and other costly
hardware undermine the critical role physical mail plays in the life of the
inmate population. And these developments also raise serious questions about
corporate profiteering at the expense of American prisoners and taxpayers.
The Lawrence County, Indiana Sheriff's Department recently closed a deal
with one of the biggest players in this space, Securus Technologies, to
furnish "JP6S tablets" to its 150 inmates. The tablets are being touted to
the public as a way to offer "new communications and entertainment options,
as well as free education and re-entry tools to help prepare [prisoners] for
their release," a service the jailed individuals can access through a
"low-cost monthly" subscription.
Securus Technologies has been the target of civil rights activists like
Bianca Tylek - founder of Worth Rises, a prisoner advocacy organization that
seeks to dismantle "the prison industry" - who was "unimpressed" with
Securus's recent moves to address criticism over price-gouging and other
exploitative practices against prisoners who are compelled to use their
services to communicate with the outside world.
Private Prison Simulation Game Goes Viral on Apple App Store
Prison Empire Tycoon, which simulates America's private prisons, has become
one of the most popular games on the Apple App Store
MintPress News | Alan Macleod | Jul 10, 2020
Acquired by a Beverly Hills private equity firm called Platinum Equities
four years ago, the company has been known to charge up to $1 a minute for
calls from prison, except in New York City where the cost was transferred to
taxpayers.
Los Angeles billionaire and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores, who heads
Platinum Equities, seems oddly sheepish about the relentless focus on his
corporate assets by prison reform activists. Speaking on the controversy
just a few weeks ago, Gores told The Detroit Free Press that although he
would "get killed for saying this," the prison communications industry
should be the purview of nonprofits rather than of private interests.
The tech prison transition
That transition from for-profit to nonprofit seems to be exactly what is
happening. A nonprofit backed by Twitter mogul Jack Dorsey, Google, and
Schmidt Futures (Eric Schmidt's philanthropic venture), among others,
launched the Ameelio app less than a year ago to "disrupt the prison phone
industry," as it was described in a recent interview with the organization's
founder and Yale Law graduate, Uzoma "Zo" Orchingwa.
Ameelio is currently piloting with four states and plans to take over some
of the services currently offered via predatory contract models, like those
of Securus. Ameelio does not, however, solve the privacy problem nor does it
completely eliminate the opportunities for financial exploitation of
prisoners. In fact, it may simply open the door for far more sophisticated
models, such as social impact bonds (SIB).
social impact bonds graphic
This graphic from a RAND Europe study shows how social impact bonds could be
sold to private investors. Credit | Rand
The concept behind social impact bonds requires a fully digital ecosystem
that can track and aggregate data on individuals who are a part of any kind
of state or municipal service such as prisons. With such pervasive tracking,
a subject's progression through that system can be measured and linked to
milestones tied to financial instruments, which investors (or stakeholders)
can hold, buy or sell on the open market.
Known as stakeholder capitalism, this new form of exploitation is already
being tested in many places around the world and prisons are among the main
targets for its implementation, as they provide an ideal and literally
captive market for its proof of concept.
Alison McDowell's pioneering independent research on this topic has exposed
many of the insidious ways in which pay-for-success schemes like SIBs and
other human capital market ideas are being foisted onto America's public
education and healthcare systems through the "gamification" of schooling and
health pathways.
Ameelio is set on gamifying inmates' experience both inside the prison and
in their outer-world interactions with "a variety of mental health-related
content as well,. pre-designed content we developed ourselves, like
crosswords, games and an article feature," which, Orchingwa explains, allows
relatives or friends to "include a link and we convert the news article into
a letter that's sent to their loved ones to keep them engaged with what's
going on in the world."
Ameelio has also partnered with approximately 30 criminal justice
organizations to facilitate communication with their clients, as well as a
video conferencing platform called Northstar scheduled to launch in April
2021, which will practically complete the digital takeover of prison
dynamics.
Feature photo | Anthony Plant reads from a tablet at his bunk at