Prison Industrial Complex

You might know . . .

Operating prisons in the United States is very expensive.

But maybe you’ve never thought about . . .

Many private corporations benefit from mass incarceration. The number of private prisons has increased significantly, and these facilities have less government oversight and greater risk of harm to inmates. Prison companies’ stocks are traded on Wall Street for significant profit, and inmate labor is used to benefit corporations and take jobs out of our economy. There is a business incentive to keep prisons open and filled.

“[Prison] relieves us of the responsibility of seriously engaging with the problems of our society, especially those produced by racism and, increasingly, global capitalism.”

Angela Davis, Are Prisons Obsolete?

Private prisons make approximately $374 million a year in profits.

Source: Prison Policy Initiative

 

The comprehensive mass incarceration system costs approximately $182 billion per year to operate.

Source: Prison Policy Initiative

 

Incarcerated people spend $1.6 billion each year on commissary necessities.

Source: Prison Policy Initiative

 

In one study, 65% of the private prisons analyzed had occupancy guarantees of 80–100% or compensatory fees for empty prison beds written into their contracts with states.

Source: In the Public Interest

 

Prisoners who participate in correctional education programs are roughly 43% less likely to return to prison and 13% more likely to find employment after their release.

Source: RAND Corporation

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO
  • Read Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis.
  • Find out which corporations in your state are investing in prisons, and actively avoid supporting those businesses with your dollars.
  • Research the prison industries in your state, and raise your concerns about those industries with state lawmakers. See page 145 for a helpful guide to contacting your representatives.

 

Phone calls cost incarcerated people and their families $1.3 billion per year.

Source: Prison Policy Initiative

 

REFLECTION & JOURNAL SPACE