A recent ThinkProgress article documented the myriad failures of the first for-profit prison in the country to meet state standards. Mentioned in passing was Corrections Corporation of America's recent offer to outright buy state prisons, rather than merely take contracts to (mis)manage them, dangling short-term infusions of money in front of cash-strapped state legislatures.

They come with a catch, however -- guaranteed prison 'occupancy' rates of at least 90% for decades, insuring CCA's continued profitability.

But what happens if the government, having taken on such contracts with the CCA, puts pressure on its justice system to produce the requisite numbers of inmates for the prisons? What happens when the focus of the justice system changes from justice to manufacturing a human product that for-profit prisons demand to exploit?