Jerid had listened for a while, then walked over to the arguing group and listened some more.
After quite some time he finally decided to bud in.
"Calm down people. Think about this. Why would a government institution use inmates as soldiers? They are unreliable, unstable and prone to attempt escape. And the public would never approve. It's because they can use you for illegal missions. Projects that will never see the light of day, these require soldiers with no rights and no chance to blow the whistle. They want pawns they can use and throw away. And if you happen to die in mission, just means the state have one less mouth to feed. We are cheap, dangerous and most importantly: expendable."