I am embarassed to say that my apparent myopia kept me from being aware of this issue for far too long. For profit incarceration has insidiously weaseled its way into our local economies. This is not just in the form of private, for profit prisons-- it is also in the form of government subsidized (per diem) local and state prisons. This is one of the many issues now embedded in our anthropological context that must be carefully remedied. See the 8 part series at the link below:
http://www.nola.com/...
"If the inmate count dips, sheriffs bleed money. Their constituents lose jobs. The prison lobby ensures this does not happen by thwarting nearly every reform that could result in fewer people behind bars."