<p><pre><code> > [...] than two-thirds of the nation’s approximately 780,000 jail inmates.
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That's a lot of people to be holding for processing one way or another. Some Googling gave me this informative wikipedia link on the matter if you want to read up on related statistics : <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_in_the_United_States" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_in_the_United_Sta...</a> .
If we ever succeed in creating sentient AI, I wonder if it will be employed in prisons to replace guards?<p>There are a couple reasons this might be attractive to some:<p>-Not subject to the same psychological pressures that have been demonstrated to corrupt even well-meaning people when they are put in absolute authority over inmates.<p>-A prison is a closed system so gathering telemetry and controlling doors, lights and other factors would be easily automated in a manner that does not require a mobile robotic platform. (The facility 'is' the robot).<p>-The population of a prison is understood to have given up certain rights so the implementation of AI governship may be deemed more socially acceptable, especially if the case is made that it will lead to more humane treatment of inmates.<p>-