The Prison Industrial Complex. Outline: Prison-Industrial Complex What is the Prison-Industrial Complex? Impact of the War on Drugs and Mandatory Minimums.

The Prison Industrial Complex

Outline: Prison-Industrial Complex

What is the Prison-Industrial Complex?Impact of the War on Drugs and Mandatory MinimumsEx-prisoner, Barry Joe, Re-entry to SocietyCorrections as an Arena for Profitable Enterprise: Private Prisons and Private ConstructionReforming 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 Prison-Industrial Complex:Complex:

Main Features/Players Main Features/PlayersMain featuresMain featuresSimilarities with military industrial Similarities with military industrial complexcomplex

-political,social, and economic gains-political,social, and economic gains

-Mixture of public and private spheres-Mixture of public and private spheres

Main players: Main players: privatized prisons/correctional privatized prisons/correctional institutionsinstitutions

corporations contracting prison corporations contracting prison laborlabor

construction companies construction companies conservative politicsconservative politics

The War on Drugs and The War on Drugs and Mandatory MinimumsMandatory Minimums

SUB TOPIC #1SUB TOPIC #1LUKE WALSHLUKE WALSH

RYAN MARTINSONRYAN MARTINSONDEVIN GILBERTDEVIN GILBERT

San QuentinSan QuentinMaximum securityMaximum security

penitentiarypenitentiary

The War on DrugsThe War on Drugs

Officially declared in the early Officially declared in the early 1980’s1980’s

Contributions to prison expansionContributions to prison expansion

National Drug policiesNational Drug policiesA shift in priorities: stronger focus on A shift in priorities: stronger focus on

punitive objectivespunitive objectives

The War On DrugsThe War On Drugs

Augmentation of drug Augmentation of drug arrests 1980-2007 arrests 1980-2007

Disproportionate Disproportionate representation of representation of African AmericansAfrican Americans

Skyrocketing levels of Skyrocketing levels of incarcerationincarceration

OverpopulationOverpopulation

Federal Asset ForfeitureFederal Asset Forfeiture

Seizure of assets, without due Seizure of assets, without due processprocess

Increased funding for the “drug Increased funding for the “drug scare” scare”

Increased drug related crimesIncreased drug related crimes

Anti Drug Abuse Acts Of 1986 Anti Drug Abuse Acts Of 1986 And 1988And 1988

Created severe mandatory minimum Created severe mandatory minimum sentencing laws for drug offensessentencing laws for drug offenses--possession of 5 grams or more of crack possession of 5 grams or more of crack cocaine carries a minimum of 5 years in prisoncocaine carries a minimum of 5 years in prison

• Effects on federal sentencing Effects on federal sentencing guidelinesguidelines

• Attacking the root cause, or the Attacking the root cause, or the symptom?symptom?

--Low level arrests versus high level in dealer Low level arrests versus high level in dealer hierarchyhierarchy

From Prison to Society: From Prison to Society: Barry Joe’s BarriersBarry Joe’s Barriers

Barry Joe’s Barriers: even though a Barry Joe’s Barriers: even though a non-violentnon-violent

ex-offender, he has difficulty finding ex-offender, he has difficulty finding employment,housing, and employment,housing, and adequate health care.adequate health care.Barry Joe [interview] [interview]The profitable prison-industry in The profitable prison-industry in conjunction with the War on Drugs, conjunction with the War on Drugs, mandatory minimum mandatory minimum sentencing makes reformation a sentencing makes reformation a difficulty task.difficulty task.

Disparate ImpactsDisparate Impacts

Seth Olson Seth Olson

Lucy MooreLucy Moore

White vs Non-White: White vs Non-White: HousingHousing

Urban centers vs SuburbsUrban centers vs Suburbs

Government policies/FHA redliningGovernment policies/FHA redlining

Urban “renewal” Urban “renewal”

Real estate practices/Restrictive Real estate practices/Restrictive covenantscovenants

““Visible/Non-Visible CrimeVisible/Non-Visible Crime

White v. Non-White: White v. Non-White: PunishmentPunishment

1973: Rockefeller imposes harsher 1973: Rockefeller imposes harsher drug sentencesdrug sentences

1981: Reagan’s “War on Drugs” and 1981: Reagan’s “War on Drugs” and Military police styleMilitary police style

1994: Wilson’s “3 Strikes” Law1994: Wilson’s “3 Strikes” Law

1990’s: Clinton passes: Crime bill; 1990’s: Clinton passes: Crime bill; Welfare Reform; Higher Ed ReformWelfare Reform; Higher Ed Reform

White vs Non-WhiteWhite vs Non-White

5 grams crack or 500 grams 5 grams crack or 500 grams cocaine=same sentencecocaine=same sentence

Disparate Incarceration Rates, Disparate Incarceration Rates, by Raceby Race

www.prisonpolicy.org/graphs/raceinc.html

Women and ChildrenWomen and Children50% imprisoned women HIV 50% imprisoned women HIV

positive and addicted to drugspositive and addicted to drugs

1 in 109 women incarcerated, 1 in 1 in 109 women incarcerated, 1 in 50 disenfranchised due to 50 disenfranchised due to convictionconviction

53,000 foster care children with 53,000 foster care children with incarcerated motherincarcerated mother

1 in 5 children witness mother’s 1 in 5 children witness mother’s arrestarrest

Effects on Poorly EducatedEffects on Poorly Educated

Employment rate: black HS dropouts: Employment rate: black HS dropouts: 1980: 66% 1999: 50%1980: 66% 1999: 50%

Including Prisoners: 1980: 55% 1999: 30%Including Prisoners: 1980: 55% 1999: 30%

Decreased earning potential as they ageDecreased earning potential as they age

1999: white dropouts 1.5X more employed 1999: white dropouts 1.5X more employed than black dropoutsthan black dropouts

Including Prisoners: whites 2.5X more Including Prisoners: whites 2.5X more employed than blacksemployed than blacks

Sentencing And IncarcerationSentencing And Incarceration

Many drug Many drug offenders are offenders are disproportionately disproportionately incarcerated incarcerated based on certain based on certain categoriescategories

Nearly 500,000 Nearly 500,000 inmates are inmates are currently currently incarcerated for incarcerated for possession and or possession and or sale of drugssale of drugs

StatisticsStatistics

Percentage of prisoners suffering Percentage of prisoners suffering from substance abuse:from substance abuse:53 % of state and federal prisons53 % of state and federal prisons

Percentage of those prisoners Percentage of those prisoners receiving treatment while receiving treatment while incarcerated:incarcerated:State 40.3%State 40.3%Federal 48.6%Federal 48.6%

Corrections as a profitable Corrections as a profitable enterpriseenterprise

Private prisons and private construction

Prisons and the effect on Prisons and the effect on local economieslocal economies

21% of residents live in poverty

Taxation issues

Contributor to local economies/services?

Use of prison labor versus local labor

Measure 11Measure 11

• Mandatory minimum sentencing for 21 criminal offenses

• Increases in operating costs

• Diminished cost-benefit ratio

• Financial impact on Oregon taxpayers

• 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

Business of Business of Corrections/Growing Corrections/Growing prison populationsprison populations

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