"When the blood-letting of jobs reaches a point of severe negative economic impact on a state, the prisons are there to fill the void. Prisons provide work for guards and courts and all the support industries, so states do what they can to make sure their prisons continue in operation. And like any other business, prisons seek to grow, so that means more prisoners are constantly needed. More arrests and convictions for crimes that become more and more petty. 1-2% growth rate is reasonable for a prison system, so that means YOU will be arrested and have to "work off your debt to society" someday."

That happened in England a couple of centuries ago - that's how we Aussie got started.

So this is a long term plot to get cheap labour for the new Federal Settlement on the Moon and Mars?

:-)