"...amounts of people..."
"Amounts". Sounds like these people are ground up into a slurry, measured by volume, and delivered to the prison in vats.
"Good morning Bob. How much prisoners do you have for me today?"
"Hey Fred. The amount of people today is 675L. Here, let's connect the hose and get them inside."
"Only 675L? That's less prisoners than yesterday."
"It's 'fewer' Fred. They're discrete countable items, individual human beings. So it's 'fewer', not 'less'. And 'number', not 'amount'."
"Very funny Bob. 'Ironic', as they say. Now, turn on the pump..."