The rise of private, for-profit prisons in the United States in the past few decades has left many concerned that the judicial system could put more people in jail for seemingly innocuous crimes in the name of keeping those prisons profitable.

The Ulrich Museum of Art will attempt to bring this issue to light by sponsoring a screening of “Kids for Cash,” a recently released documentary about the subject.

It is a phenomenon largely linked to the War on Drugs, which resulted in overcrowding for state and federal penitentiaries, leading to the construction of more private prisons.

However, while the private prison system has been criticized for its effect on convicted adults, the imprisonment of minors in private youth detention centers for small offenses does not get as much attention. 

 The screening will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Hubbard Hall, Room 209, and is part of a larger “Juvenile In Justice” exhibition on display at the Ulrich Museum. Admission is free.

The film, directed by Robert May, documents a 2008 corruption scandal in Pennsylvania, where two judges pled guilty on charges that they had illegally accepted money from the owner of a private juvenile detention center. The judges gave minors unusually severe sentences for harmless crimes, most notably a case where all one girl had done was make fun of a school faculty member on MySpace. Many of the children who went before the judges lacked legal representation, meaning they could not realistically argue against the charges.

“Kids for Cash” has received positive reviews since its February release, with critics calling it an engaging and thought-provoking look at the criminal justice system in America. Admission is free.