The Prison Industrial Complex
Outline: Prison-Industrial Complex
What is the Prison-Industrial Complex?
Impact of the War on Drugs and Mandatory
Minimums
Ex-prisoner, Barry Joe, Re-entry to Society
Corrections as an Arena for Profitable Enterprise:
Private Prisons and Private Construction
Reforming the Prison Industrial Complex

What is the Prison Industrial
Complex?

A profitable, tough on crime justice system
with problems concerning:
•
Racism
•
Sexism
•
Classism
Prison-Industrial Complex:
Main Features/Players

Main features

Similarities with military industrial complex
-political,social, and economic gains
-Mixture of public and private spheres

Main players:
 privatized prisons/correctional institutions
 corporations contracting prison labor
 construction companies
 conservative politics
The War on Drugs and Mandatory
Minimums
SUB TOPIC #1
LUKE WALSH
RYAN MARTINSON
DEVIN GILBERT
San Quentin
Maximum security
penitentiary
The War on Drugs

Officially declared in the early 1980’s

Contributions to prison expansion

National Drug policies

A shift in priorities: stronger focus on punitive objectives
The War On Drugs




Augmentation of drug
arrests 1980-2007
Disproportionate
representation of African
Americans
Skyrocketing levels of
incarceration
Overpopulation
Federal Asset Forfeiture

Seizure of assets, without due process

Increased funding for the “drug scare”

Increased drug related crimes
Anti Drug Abuse Acts Of 1986 And 1988

Created severe mandatory minimum sentencing
laws for drug offenses
-possession of 5 grams or more of crack cocaine carries a
minimum of 5 years in prison
•
•
Effects on federal sentencing guidelines
Attacking the root cause, or the symptom?
-Low level arrests versus high level in dealer hierarchy
From Prison to Society:
Barry Joe’s Barriers
Barry Joe’s Barriers: even though a non-violent
ex-offender, he has difficulty finding
employment,housing, and adequate health care.
Barry Joe [interview]
The profitable prison-industry in conjunction with
the War on Drugs, mandatory minimum
sentencing makes reformation a difficulty task.

Disparate Impacts
Seth Olson
Lucy Moore
White vs Non-White: Housing

Urban centers vs Suburbs

Government policies/FHA redlining

Urban “renewal”

Real estate practices/Restrictive covenants

“Visible/Non-Visible Crime
White v. Non-White: Punishment




1973: Rockefeller imposes harsher drug
sentences
1981: Reagan’s “War on Drugs” and Military
police style
1994: Wilson’s “3 Strikes” Law
1990’s: Clinton passes: Crime bill; Welfare
Reform; Higher Ed Reform
White vs Non-White

5 grams crack or 500 grams
cocaine=same sentence
Disparate Incarceration Rates,
by Race
www.prisonpolicy.org/graphs/raceinc.html
Women and Children




50% imprisoned women HIV positive and
addicted to drugs
1 in 109 women incarcerated, 1 in 50
disenfranchised due to conviction
53,000 foster care children with incarcerated
mother
1 in 5 children witness mother’s arrest
Effects on Poorly Educated

Employment rate: black HS dropouts: 1980: 66% 1999:
50%

Including Prisoners: 1980: 55% 1999: 30%

Decreased earning potential as they age


1999: white dropouts 1.5X more employed than black
dropouts
Including Prisoners: whites 2.5X more employed than
blacks
Sentencing And Incarceration


Many drug offenders
are disproportionately
incarcerated based on
certain categories
Nearly 500,000 inmates
are currently
incarcerated for
possession and or sale
of drugs
Statistics
Percentage of prisoners suffering from substance
abuse:
 53 % of state and federal prisons

Percentage of those prisoners receiving treatment
while incarcerated:

State 40.3%
 Federal 48.6%

Corrections as a profitable enterprise
Private prisons and private
construction
Prisons and the effect on local
economies

21% of residents live in poverty

Taxation issues

Contributor to local economies/services?

Use of prison labor versus local labor
Measure 11
• Mandatory minimum sentencing for 21 criminal
offenses
• Increases in operating costs
• Diminished cost-benefit ratio
• Financial impact on Oregon taxpayers
Business of Corrections/Growing
prison populations
•
•
•
•
Spending increases on corrections
New prisons being built
Growing market for private business
Prison population growth tied to lucrative
business
• State Department of Corrections budget is
growing
Reforming the Prison-Industrial
Complex
Jessica Marks, Rebbeccah Robinson
Government Budgeting

Prison treatment programs
Shift fiscal responsibilities from state to local
government


Community service programs
Treatment of non-violent
offenders

Drug & alcohol treatment

Mental health treatment and job skills training
Individual Based Sentencing

Reform parole practice

Earned time & sentence reduction

Eliminate mandatory minimums
Deprivatize the Prison System

Give back authority to government

Hold organizations liable for actions

Public Safety and Justice Campaign
Preventing Crime

Provide equal social opportunity

One-Stop Rehabilitation Centers

Expand Alternative Incarceration Program
Community Reentry Program