I broadly agree with you but I think you're ascribing too much coherent judicial intention to the way we treat prisoners. Sure, people are sent there as punishment, but it seems more like the way they're treated once they get there is mostly down to profit motive on the part of big prison-industrial players who outright run some prisons and provide services to most (all?) others, and individual depravity on the part of the bullies and sadists who are drawn to working in the industry.
Just the fact that I can reasonably call it an "industry" should be setting off major alarm bells. Our prison system is one of the most terrifying and evil things that exist in the real world.
I agree, though sometimes it's not actually bribery. If a company, for example, offers inmate telecom services to a prison, and offers to do it at "no cost at all to the state" or "revenue share", it sounds attractive. Of course, that means "exorbitant costs to the prisoner's families".
Revenue share isn’t bribery because the revenue isn’t shared with the judge. It’s a cost structure to make the municipality or whatever avoid having to outlay money to build something.
Similar to some joint public/private toll roads, red light cameras, etc.
If you can de-incentivize a behavior, you can prevent it. But just 'banning bribery' has already been done. Banning any and all perverse incentives from the justice system is actually very difficult to the point of near-impossibility. Hence the current system.
Except that when we hear of a for-profit nursing home abusing its residents, we are shocked, and set up an inquiry, and pass some laws about how people need to be treated.
When we hear about how prisoners are treated -- actually we hardly ever hear about how prisoners are treated, because most people don't care that much.
The way society is ok with the treatment of prisoners is the root cause of the way they are treated. Plenty of for-profit enterprises exist that aren't allowed to abuse those they have power over.
That's definitely part of it. The way they suck the prisoner's families dry is particularly shitty, for things like phone calls, letters (jPay), commissary, charges to see the doctor (yes, really), and so on.
Just the fact that I can reasonably call it an "industry" should be setting off major alarm bells. Our prison system is one of the most terrifying and evil things that exist in the real world.