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Suicide exposes squalor in private prisons run by GEO while CEO cashes in
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by Actual News Geezer | July 6, 2007 at 12:32 pm
872 views | 5 Recommendations | 3 comments
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Associated Press reporter John Miller files a masterpiece of investigative journalism, tracking the failures of a private prison operator, GEO Group.
Miller documents the suffering of Scot Noble Payne, who spent months in solitary confinement before committing suicide. He left a 20-page suicide note documenting the horrid conditions of the Texas prison run by GEO.
And today, in an interesting coincidence, the CEO of GEO, Wayne Calabrese, has just sold 30,000 shares he bought on options for $84,000 and then promptly sold them for $875,000.
Crime does pay. GEO, as AP reports, had a net profit of $30 million last year.
Payne's suicide on March 4 came seven months after he was sent to the squalid privately run Texas prison by Idaho authorities trying to ease inmate overcrowding in their own state. His death exposed what had been Idaho's standard practice for dealing with inmates sent to out-of-state prisons: Out of sight, out of mind.
The president and chief operating officer of Geo Group Inc., which operates correctional and detention facilities, exercised options for 30,000 shares of common stock under a prearranged trading plan, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Thursday.
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lito
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (3)
at 18:36 on July 6th, 2007
Actual News Guy, I can tell you from personal experience that the American "corrections" system is not at all about rehabilitation. The prison system is full of poor, mostly uneducated people who in many instances cannot even articulate how they got into trouble in the first place.
Incarceration does nothing but de-humanise the prisoner making him or her pretty useless to themselves and the greater society. This is the secondary purpose of the practise. The primary practise has and always will be the warehousing of the socially unacceptable.
As an Indigenous person I abhor the concept of incarceration. We used the idea of compensation or in extreme cases, execution or permission given for familial revenge. I'm not suggesting that death is an acceptable alternative in a civilised society, but the current system in all of it's forms is little more than weapon of the establishment.
Thanks for posting this.
at 22:35 on July 6th, 2007
Well, ANG, the stock sale wasn't really a "coincidence," at all.
The SEC filing, dated July 2, 2007, shows that the president and COO of GEO sold those 30,000 shares "pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan dated May 3, 2007."
And for all those out there in readership land playing along at home without a program, it should be noted that Rule 10b5-1 permits officers and directors to adopt a written plan to sell stock when they are not in possession of material non-public information. Further, once that written, prearranged plan to sell stock is on the books with the SEC, even if that officer suddenly becomes aware of information that is not known to the public, like an unsolicited bid for the company, or a damning newspaper story, the rule STILL allows the person that filed the plan to continue selling share on a regular basis, as outlined in the plan.
So, while the practices of the company may be henious, according the suicide note, there was nothing fishy about the stock deal; the AP story even says it was "prearranged."
at 09:24 on July 7th, 2007
Though AI makes a valid point, my view is treatment and rehabilitation only works in some cases,all prisoners get the right to further their education while in prison, so the argument that poor and uneducated who are in jail may be valid, but on the other hand in prison they get to improve their lot by taking advantage of getting an education, some have even got law degrees in prison all at the public expense. Educators throw these prisoners the ball, but it is up to the prisoners to catch it.
On another issue, prisons are not perfect, yes they are demeaning, but then the repeat offenders, especially in Canada do little time knowing sometimes the crime is worth it. You are in prison for a reason, mollycoddling prisoners just makes them more likely to re-offend, Trailer Park boys is damn close to what Canadian minimum security jails are like for example where most prisoners end up. Prison life is meant to be tough, for heinious crimes, I would be one who would line up to pull the swich, if prisoners know the fatal consequences of their actions, perhaps they will think twice before taking a life.
Canada's abolishment of capital punishment, much like our gun and drug laws show how ineffective they are at reducing crime. Rampant crime, begets rampant crime period.
I would rather prisoners housed in a Military style boot camp for the duration of their terms, much like an Arizona sherrif (Ex Marine) does with his prisoners, no luxuries, no smoking, early to bed, early to rise, MRE rations only, a bible, educational opportunities for GED, oh yes, one more thing, hours and hours of daily drill, daily long marches with backpacks through the sweltering desert heat, strict discipline with strict consequences, all prisoners live outdoor in tents with outdoor latrines. Prisoners whined like little girlies to every human rights and media organization imaginable, even the United Nations. When investigated by these organizations, the Sherrifs rebuttal was to produce a Marine Training Manual and state if this training (Verbatim) is good for our boys fighting in Iraq, it is certainly good enough for these Delicate Fairies (Prisoners). In ending IA, these organizations were put in their place, no further action was taken by them against the Sherrif, and life goes on in Arizona and the Inmates. Repeat offenders from this program is almost zero, we can't say the same for the rest of North America and our prisons now can we? So, I cannot buy your argument in it's entirety.