Dave Weisbrich

Dr. Sean George DSU

The United States only makes up 5% of the world population, and yet houses 25% of all the
prisoners on Earth, due to the prison system becoming the lucrative business we have seen it
metamorphosize into in recent decades. This paper will describe the reason that the land of the free
has become enamored with stripping its own citizens of their freedom, and the profits this has
reaped for economies on the micro and macro scale.
The mass incarcerations of American citizens decimates the lives and resources of those who
have loved ones in prison. When a citizen is imprisoned, especially a male, their family the family they
are attached to is left with an economic and emotional void, which makes making survival much harder
as opposed to intact families. A large contributor to the rise of incarceration rates is the Rockefeller Drug
Laws (RDL), passed in 1980 and a key component of the war on drugs, were unjustly designed to
imprison a disproportionate amount of African American men more than any other race (Smith and
Hattery 390). Since the passing of these laws, a radical shift in prison racial demographics has occurred
(Smith and Hattery 392).
When closely observed, the RDLs appear to be overtly racist. Much harsher punishments
are levied against crimes which are prevalent in minority neighborhoods. For example, Smith and
Hattery write that possession of merely 5 grams of crack cocaine is a felony whereas an individual
must possess nearly 500 grams of powder cocaine for the same charge and sentence to be invoked
(394). Furthermore, the Department of Justice has shown evidence that 33% of convicted white
defendants received a prison sentence whereas 51% of African American defendants received
sentences (Smith and Hattery 391). While in prison, these men do not receive any type of
rehabilitation program, and although they have having paid their debt to society, have extreme difficulties

finding meaningful employment after their release. They are then confronted with where they face the
challenge of returning to the same communities that many other rehab-deficient convicts return to (Smith
and Hattery 388). Another alarming fact, aside from racist laws imprisoning citizens with few options
for effective rehab, is that crime has seen a sharp decrease recently, and yet incarceration is at an all time
high (Blumstein 17). The question must be asked, why are incarcerations increasing if overall crime is
nearing a 50 year low? This can be answered by exploring the economic impact of the prison industrial
complex (PIC).
In his farewell address, President Eisenhower warned the American public of the emergence
of the military industrial complex. This speech explained that the cold-war military buildup had
resulted in a massive economic powerhouse which the American economy had become dependent on, and
in order to justify maintaining high levels of spending, combat operations must occur. Similarly, there
exists a prison industrial complex that also makes large contributions to the American economy. The
military must wage wars to stay in business, just as prisons must fill their cells to stay in business. The
PIC is allowed to exist because it is fueled by the economic interests of private corporations, federal and
state correctional institutions, and politicians (Fulcher 589). Support from these organizations, and the
war on drugs, have cemented prisons into the foundation of America's economy, and created an
unbelievable 1100% incarceration increase from 1980 to 2003 (Fulcher 594). With these increases,
prisons have been able to exploit cheap labor from inmates while simultaneously lowering the
unemployment rate in poverty-stricken areas by reducing the population.
Aside from cheap labor, the prison industrial complex has generated billions by becoming
one of the fastest-growing industries in the Unites States ( Fulcher 593). Such growth has created
prison guard unions, multi-billion dollar contracts for construction firms, and thousands of other related
jobs which have fed the American economy for decades. Proponents of the drug war and of free market
enterprise will point to job creation and economic stimulation as a positive consequence of prisons and
harsh legislation. However, these benefits come at the cost of unjustly and unequally taking freedoms
away from citizens who, in the case of most marijuana users, are not guilty of violent or destructive

crimes. The very core of American values is the freedom to conduct one's life so long as it doesn't infringe
on anothers liberties, and these freedoms should not be stripped away due to the promise of a slightly
better economy. While state and federal prisons have been a profitable business for America, the public
has become despondent of using tax-payer dollars to create more prisons. This has led to a newly formed
branch of the justice systemprivatized prisons.
Private prisons came about as a result of eager capitalists seeing the opportunity for
enterprise when the public grew tired of paying for costly prison facilities. Unjust legislation of
tough on crime policies such as the failed War on Drugs and increases in prisons have not led to a
decrease in incarceration rates, but rather created an even greater hunger for prisoners (Brickner and
Diaz). Many of the corporations who own private prisons, such as Corrections Corporation of America
(CCA), are publicly traded companies which inherently must do their best to maximize profits for their
shareholders. For the prison business, maximizing profits means maximizing prisoners, regardless of
whether their punishment is equal to their crime (Brickner and Diaz). Naturally, this practice is easily
exploitable as was seen in Pennsylvania in 2011 where Juvenile Court Judge Mark Ciavarella was
convicted of racketeering in a cash for kids jail scheme. For years, the judge was paid by private prison
officials to sentence kids to harsher punishments in order to keep the companys private facility filled
(Brickner and Diaz). Companies like CCA, which recorded profits of $1.675 Billion in 2010 alone,
use their capital to influence many politicians, such as Arizonas Jan Brewer and Ohios John Kasich, to
impose legislation that will result in higher incarceration rates for citizens who would normally not see
extended prison time, or in some cases no prison time at all (Brickner and Diaz).
Proponents of privatized prisons will suggest that private prisons are more efficient than
state-run prisons. However, this is not the case as Brickner and Diaz point out that private prisons
must maximize profits, which is often done by scaling back on expenses such as maintenance, security
and safety protocols, adequate alarm systems, and reduced wages and little to no benefits for
workers resulting in a high turnover rate of 53 percent, while the public facilities rate was only 16
percent. Private prisons also report assaults were 50 percent higher than their public counterparts

(Brickner and Diaz). Most appalling is the fact that prisoners are not offered drug counseling, mental
health care, and job training while incarcerated due to their costs reducing profits for shareholders
(Brickner and Diaz). Although the facts in this paper would appear to be enough for many to wish for
reformation of the criminal justice system, and the abolishment of private prisons, there are some who
believe the current state of both serve our society for the better.
Some have offered the idea that prisons are necessary for the detention and punishment of
criminals who would be on the street endangering the public. Without prisons to warehouse these
individuals, the public would be at risk of becoming victims of murder, rape, theft, and of course drug
peddling. However, a large portion of the prison population are not guilty of such crimes. as HBOs
John Oliver points out that half of federal prisoners are there due to drug charges, which many
have argued carry unjust punishments, such as the Rockefeller Drug Laws (Prison). Higher
incarceration rates have has not led to a decreases in crime, but higher recidivism as nearly half of
inmates return to prison within three years (Prison). Information such as this would suggest that
prisons, ironically, are doing more to create crime on American streets than to deter it.
Those who agree that prison reform is long overdue often allude to prison privatization as
an effective cure. Rehabilitation is a cornerstone in the argument for justifying private prisons, as
programs meant to reintegrate prisoners into society are often underfunded or completely devoid from
government-run prisons. Surely private prisons, being free from a meddling bureaucracy, should be able
to produce healthier, more stable inmates ready forto release. Yet once again, the opposite is true as
rehabilitation is often seen as an expense that can be cut to maximize profits for private prisons.
Rehabilitation is not the only important expense being cut. Resources that are considered essential for
survival such as food, clothing, bedding, and proper ventilation are given to inmates at substandard levels.
More importantly private prisons are notorious for assaults and escapes as salaries for security forces are
also reduced. Overall, private prisons do not offer any advantage in operational efficiency, rehabilitation,
stimulation of local economies, or better quality of life when compared to government-run facilities
which are already abhorrent.

The main goal of prisons should be to deter crime and rehabilitate criminals, which would
ultimately result in the need for fewer prisons. Unfortunately, America has found a lucrative enterprise
in the incarceration business, and pursuing the goal of fewer prisons doesnt make business sense. The
United States already houses 25% of the worlds prisoners, and with legislation such as the RDL, and
similar legislation to be passed in the future, the rate of incarceration will only see increases. A complete
overhaul in the criminal justice system must be enacted so the land of the free does not continue down the
path of profiting on selling out its own citizens liberties.

Works Cited
Blumstein, Alfred. The Crime Drop In America: An Exploration Of Some Recent Crime Trends.
Journal of Scandinavian Studies In Criminology & Crime Prevention7. (2006): 17-35. Academic
Search Premier. Web. 8 Dec. 2015

Brickner, Michael, and Shakyra Diaz. "Prisons For Profit Incarceration For Sale." Human Rights 38.3
(2011): 14-17. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

Fulcher, Patrice A. "Hustle and flow: Prison privatization fueling the prison industrial complex."
Washburn Law Journal 51.3 (2012).

"Prison." Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. HBO. 20 July 2014. YouTube.com. web. 7 December 2015

Smith, Earl, and Angela J. Hattery. "African American Men And The Prison Industrial Complex." Western
Journal Of Black Studies 34.4 (2010): 387-398. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.