Why not, the government makes billions of dollars on its prisons, so why not continue to fill them up with "new" anti-drug legislation designed not only to add to the total incarcerated population, but to keep them there even longer!

If the general public knew the fraud being perpetrated on US taxpayers by the BOP each year, the backlash would be harsh and immediate.

Don't believe for a minute that it actually costs the taxpayers one dime to house a federal prisoner. Lucrative contracts are awarded to such companies as 3M to use prison laborers (paid less than 50 cents an hour) to manufacture products that are then sold in the "free market" at retail prices. This is just one SMALL example...military equipment (i.e. tanks, aircraft parts, etc.) is made by prisoners, yet taxpayers are charged exhorbitant prices as if an actual paid-labor force had made it. And it goes on and on and on...