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The Prison Industrial Complex

The prison industrial complex is a major business in the United States, generating substantial profits for large U.S. corporations. The privatization of prisons -- which occurs when U.S. corporations invest in prisons -- has led to an increase in prison construction and a highdemand for incarceration. U.S. corporations invest in prisons because of access to a cheap and captive labor force. The prison industrial complex affects youth, especially if youth are people of color, poor, and/or women, because the business of prisons relies on a consistent incoming long-term prison population. The privatization of prisons leads to the incarceration of youth at an early age, even for minor offenses, stifling any opportunity for a promising future.

The following statistics highlight the severity of the prison industrial complex:

• Between 1971 and 1992, public spending on prisons alone jumped from $2.3 billion to $31.2 billion.
• In 1995, prison building expenditures jumped by $926 million while university construction dropped by $954 million.
• Prisons soak up over $32 billion while generating billions of dollars in profit for big business.
• Corporations are receiving a growing proportion of U.S. tax dollars to operate private prisons and provide services.
• Between 1987 and 1996, the number of inmates in prisons jumped from 3,122 to 78,000.
• Chevron, TWA, and Victoria’s Secret use prison labor to do data entry, book telephone reservations, and make lingerie at 23 cents an hour.15

The following statistics highlight the impact the prison industry has on people of color:

• In 1994, one in three black men between the ages of 20-29 were in prison, jail, on probation or on parole. In 1995, 47% of state and federal inmates were black, the largest group behind bars. Black men were seven times more likely than white men to be in prison. Native Americans are ten times more likely than whites to be imprisoned. Latinos are the fastest growing group behind bars.
• In 1970, there were 5,600 women in federal and state prisons. By 1996, there were 75,000. 60% of that population are black and Latina.
• In 1993, the overall incarceration rate for juveniles was 221 per 100,000; for Latino youth it was 481 per 100,000; and for black youth it was 810 per 100,000. Juvenile arrests fell by 4% in 1995, but only after a 64% rise in the previous seven years.16

Youth are also held in INS detention centers. On January 14, 1998, AI reported that 378 youth were in INS detention. The breakdown wais as follows: 19 youth were 10 years of age or younger; 15 youth were 11 – 12 years old; 41 youth were 13 – 14 years old; 62 youth were 15 years old; 86 youth were 16 years old; and 155 youth were 17 years old. AI stated concern in their report regarding INS treatment of youth. Specifically, AI reported cases of alleged mistreatment of youth and Human Rights Watch reported the length of detention and inadequate detention conditions and facilities as problematic. Furthermore, AI expressed concern regarding youth having no right to legal representation.

Regional location is a factor in assessing how an immigrant will be treated in the United States. Immigrants from the South who are racialized are treated in a different manner than European or white-identified immigrants. Thus, the severity or length of detention coincides with race and migration from the global South. The disparity in the treatment of immigrants can be noted in the vastly different ways in which the United States secures its southern border with Mexico (a militarized zone under high control) and its northern border with Canada (a de-militarized zone with minimal control).

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Footnotes
15 Rojas, Patrisia Macias. Fall 1998. “The Prison Industrial Complex: Complex Facts” ColorLines Magazine, Volume 1, Number 2.
16 Ibid.

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