Prison-Industrial Complex
Basic Facts
1.
Today the US has @ 1.8 million people behind bars (more than any other
country)
 100,000 in federal custody
 1.1 million in state custody
 600,000 in local jails
2.
Imagine the combined populations of Atlanta, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Des
Moines and Miami behind bars!
3. The prison-industrial complex thrives on inmates:
poor
drug dealers
wide assortment of
homeless
drug addicts
violent sociopaths
mentally ill
alcoholics
people of color
illegal aliens
Frist Annual Peace, Justice &
Empowerment Summit 9/22-23/09
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Prison-Industrial Complex (cont.)
4. African American men triple the
population arrested for drug crimes
(5 times more than white males)
o 1 out of every 14 now in prison or jail
o 1 out of every 4 imprisoned during
his lifetime
o Prime ages are 15-24
5. Yet the prevalence of illegal drug use
among white men is approximately the
same.
6. Of the 80,000 women imprisoned, @70%
are nonviolent offenders; 75% have
children.
Frist Annual Peace, Justice &
Empowerment Summit 9/22-23/09
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Prison-Industrial Complex (cont.)
7. BIG money & high profits are corrupting the criminal justice
system:
 Billions in prison construction
 Year-round employment
 Health benefits & pension
 Visitation transportation bus & van services
 Prison industry trade journals w/products like new
barbwire, shields, bulletproof vests, electric chairs,
cameras, drug/metal detectors, prison clothing, etc.
 Food service companies, plumbing & health-care
 Pay phone business (MCI & American Intelecom)
8. States benefiting the most are New York, Texas, Tennessee &
California
9. Clinton administration legitimized private prisons; encouraging
Justice Dept. to place illegal aliens & minimum security inmates
in private facilities.
Frist Annual Peace, Justice &
Empowerment Summit 9/22-23/09
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Prison-Industrial Complex (cont.)
10. Private-Prison industry basic facts:
 Charges daily rate for each inmate bed
 Dominion Management (Oklahoma) is a “bed broker”
 Cost for “man-day” ranges from $25 - $60
 The more crowded a private prison is the less it’s charged
 Allstate, Merrrill Lynch, Sherson Lehman & American Express back ed the privateprison building spree in Texas
 Prison developers cut deals with sheriffs in impoverished rural Texas counties that
now houses the State of Hawaii’s 3th largest prison
 Limited government regulation of interstate commerce in prisoners transferred
from state-to-state
 Corrections Corporation of America is the nation’s largest private-prison company
& often “buys” inmates by purchasing other private prisons
Frist Annual Peace, Justice &
Empowerment Summit 9/22-23/09
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Prison Industrial Complex (cont.)
Globalization of Private-prison Companies:
1.
British private-prison, Securicor, operates 2 facilities
in Florida
2.
Wackenhut Corrections is now under contract to
operate Doncaster prison in England; 3 prisons in
Australia; and 1 prison in Scotland; actively seeking
contracts in South Africa.
3.
The largest shareholder of America’s largest privateprison company (Corrections Corporation of
America) is Sodexiho Alliance – a food-service
conglomerate with corporate headquarters in Paris.
Frist Annual Peace, Justice &
Empowerment Summit 9/22-23/09
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Prison-Industrial Complex (cont.)
Who besides National Council for Urban Peace, Justice &
Empowerment is pressing this issue?
Critical Resistance (CR) http://criticalresistance.org
Mission
To build an international movement to end the Prison Industrial
Complex by challenging the belief that caging and controlling people
makes us safe. We believe that basic necessities such as food, shelter,
and freedom are what really make our communities secure. As such,
our work is part of global struggles against inequality and
powerlessness. The success of the movement requires that it reflect
communities most affected by the PIC. Because we seek to abolish the
PIC, we cannot support any work that extends its life or scope.
Frist Annual Peace, Justice &
Empowerment Summit 9/22-23/09
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