Prison-Industrial Complex Basic Facts

1. Prison-Industrial ComplexBasic Facts • 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 • 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

2. Prison-Industrial Complex (cont.) • 4. African American men triple the population arrested for drug crimes (5 times more than white males) • 1 out of every 14 now in prison or jail • 1 out of every 4 imprisoned during his lifetime • Prime ages are 15-24 • Yet the prevalence of illegal drug use among white men is approximately the same. • Of the 80,000 women imprisoned, @70% are nonviolent offenders; 75% have children. Frist Annual Peace, Justice & Empowerment Summit 9/22-23/09

3. Prison-Industrial Complex (cont.) • 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) • States benefiting the most are New York, Texas, Tennessee & California • 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

4. 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 private-prison 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

5. Prison Industrial Complex (cont.) • Globalization of Private-prison Companies: • British private-prison, Securicor, operates 2 facilities in Florida • 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. • The largest shareholder of America’s largest private-prison 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

6. 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