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    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Reporter Goes Undercover to Find Out What Life is Like Inside a Private Prison

    More and more inmates are serving time in private prisons in America. These are facilities run by for-profit companies such as the GEO Group and Corrections Corporation of America. Yet even though nearly one out of every ten inmates is locked up in a private prison, little is known about what actually goes on inside these facilities.

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    By Madeleine Brand • Jun 28, 2016 • 1 min read

    More and more inmates are serving time in private prisons in America. These are facilities run by for-profit companies such as the GEO Group and Corrections Corporation of America. Yet even though nearly one out of every ten inmates is locked up in a private prison, little is known about what actually goes on inside these facilities. Mother Jones Senior Reporter Shane Bauer wanted to know more about what life is like inside of private prisons, so he went undercover for four months, working as a prison guard at Winn Correctional Center, a privately-run state prison in Louisiana. What Bauer saw inside of Winn was shocking: chaos, beatings, stabbings, overall lawlessness, and even an escape.

    The full episode

    2 of 4
    Emissions Scandal Settled, Volkswagen Will Pay Nearly 15 Billion
    1. 0:00Volkswagen Settles for Nearly 15 Billion for Emissions Violations
    2. 11:22Reporter Goes Undercover to Find Out What Life is Like Inside a Private PrisonYou’re reading this
    3. 26:30'Disgraced' Explores Muslim Life in America in Surprising Ways
    4. 41:53Is It Time for a Three-Day Weekend Every Week?
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Matt Holzman

      Producer, 'The Document'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Anna Scott

      Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jolie Myers

      Managing Producer, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Shane Bauer

      Mother Jones

      News

    The full episode

    2 of 4
    Emissions Scandal Settled, Volkswagen Will Pay Nearly 15 Billion
    1. 0:00Volkswagen Settles for Nearly 15 Billion for Emissions Violations
    2. 11:22Reporter Goes Undercover to Find Out What Life is Like Inside a Private PrisonYou’re reading this
    3. 26:30'Disgraced' Explores Muslim Life in America in Surprising Ways
    4. 41:53Is It Time for a Three-Day Weekend Every Week?
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand