Yes...then the need for prison marketing teams would arise, and each prisoner would receive glossy booklets extolling the virtues of the respective prison, with celebrity endorsements from the likes of Michael Vick and Martha Stewart. The golfing retirement community meets the prison system.

Whoa! I just flashed hard on school vouchers. (Prison vouchers!?) All of the arguments I can think of in favor of the one fit perfectly on the other. Scary.

Nice concept. I now have the plotline for a wonderful dystopian movie percolating in my head.

There's a clear distinction, though. Prisons are not designed for the benefit of the imprisoned. Compulsory schooling is, at least in theory, for the students' own good.

'Compulsory schooling is, at least in theory, for the students' own good.'

Rubbish. Schooling is for the good of society. Schooling != Education. Nothing in school benefits the student. Everything is about preparing the student for the workforce. The main subject taught in school is obedience.

You should probably read John Gatto to get a clearer picture how and why schools came about. It most certainly was not to educate the working class.

I'm quite familiar with Gatto's thesis, and, having been through the public school system myself, I consider it self-evident. The phrase "at least in theory" was meant to communicate my skepticism of the surrounding claim; sorry if that didn't come across. I mean that most members of society believe they are acting in children's best interest by requiring them to attend school, while the primary motivation for keeping prisoners in prison is to protect the safety of others. I agree with you that practical distinction between schools and prisons is much smaller than what most people delude themselves into believing it is.

That would depend on if you believe the primary purpose of prison is punitive or rehabilitory.

why dystopian? this would free up billions in taxpayer dollars.