Just stay in jail. It’s better.

April 25, 2018 2:37 PM

Inside the Deadly World of Private Prisoner Transport "Every year, tens of thousands of fugitives and suspects — many of whom have not been convicted of a crime — are entrusted to a handful of small private companies that specialize in state and local extraditions. A Marshall Project review of thousands of court documents, federal records and local news articles and interviews with more than 50 current or former guards and executives reveals a pattern of prisoner abuse and neglect in an industry that operates with almost no oversight."

A lawsuit was filed this week against three prisoner transport companies by Edward Kovari after an 18 day ordeal during which he "spent the duration of the journey sitting in human waste and filth" and was denied access to medication. According to the Marshall Project, the Justice Department has opened an investigation into the reports of abuse, but deaths continue to be reported and sexual assault appears to be widespread.

posted by parallellines (4 comments total)

There's nothing about the criminal justice system in America that isn't straight up fucked, is there?
posted by tobascodagama at 2:52 PM on April 25, 2018 [14 favorites]

I feel like handing out 10 year sentences to everyone involved with the Criminal justice system would be unlikely to be unjust in any case....
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:09 PM on April 25, 2018 [5 favorites]

This should be treated exactly as if the State violated the civil rights of these prisoners. But does that mean, ignoring it?
posted by thelonius at 5:12 PM on April 25, 2018

Presuming for a moment that the private companies were solicitous and professional, can someone explain the legality of a private citizen shackling and and restraining someone else?
If I were a prisoner, and I simply walked away from one of these outfits, would that be evasion?

Are these companies operating under antiquated bounty hunter laws?
How do the jails in question justify handing over a prisoner in a legal sense? Is there some sort of paperwork or do they just take the word of an out of state court order?

My state does not allow bail bondsmen or bounty hunters to operate, so I presume these types of companies would also be barred, but I don't know.
posted by madajb at 5:29 PM on April 25, 2018 [4 favorites]