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A comment on US prison workers produce $11B worth of goods and services for little to no pay. Parent comment

Re:US prison workers produce $11B worth of goods and service... by woodruffw on Friday June 17, 2022 @04:43PM (#31784085)
I agree generally, but I don't think paying prosecutors is a particularly strong incentive. Prosecutors aren't bonused or compensated based on their conviction rate (as far as I know), and they're generally undercompensated compared to private practice (but not as undercompensated as public defenders).
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Re:US prison workers produce $11B worth of goods and service... by giantg2 on Friday June 17, 2022 @04:56PM (#31784264)
They don't get a bonus, but it can help them move up or get a better private job.
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Re:US prison workers produce $11B worth of goods and service... by woodruffw on Friday June 17, 2022 @05:25PM (#31784563)
Yes, anybody who is good at their job is likely to be able to get a better (paying) one. But that itself doesn't incentivize DAs to aggressively pursue cases.

The incentives they actually follow (and there are plenty of them!) are much simpler: municipal politics (not wanting to be seen as "weak on crime") and power dynamics (wanting to come down with the "full force of the law" at every opportunity, as a disincentive to future criminals.) Plus, plenty are just plain cruel.

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