America’s prisons are failing. Here’s how to make them work

The article mentions the true reason why the situation will not change... unfortunately at the very end:

> a rounding error in the $80 billion a year that America spends on incarceration and probation

Prisons, and that includes state-run prisons, employ a good chunk of people (i.e. voters), and private prisons have been known for illegal stuff like kickbacks to judges and legal stuff like lobbying. So there are all sorts of incentives to elected representatives to keep stuff like it is.

Furthermore, "tough on crime" is something that will secure reelection if the voter base is conservative or lacks education (and one may wonder if there is a correlation)...