53 Search results for "prison industrial complex"

Global warming meets the prison industrial complex: Inmates dying from heat is a social justice issue
When people are sentenced to prison time and begin (or return to) incarcerated life, people on the outside often believe incarceration will punish inmates’ misdeeds, teach them cause-and-effect and protect society-at-large. But, what happens to people facing global warming and prisons without air conditioning? According to a report from the Marshall Project, people who are […]
America’s Most Wanted: Hip hop, the Media & the Prison Industrial Complex
The University of Chicago’s Race Center hopes to spark useful dialogue with their event, “America’s Most Wanted: Hip hop, the Media & the Prison Industrial Complex.” AMERICA’s MOST WANTED examines the prison crisis by placing two of America’s most influential industries in the crosshairs: corporate-owned media and entertainment.
32 Years of Assata Shakur and The Prison Industrial Complex
“Never in our history has critical resistance to the status quo been more important. The growth of the Prison-Industrial complex has been appallingly rapid and the escalating repression that has accompanied it is totally alarming. What future lies ahead of us? What are the implications for our children?”
Kanye West’s “New Slaves” Rails Against the Prison-Industrial Complex
Reactions to Kanye’s new track “New Slaves” has been mixed. But what is undeniable is the song’s discussion of the prison-industrial complex; as it lays plain the impact of institutional racism and private prisons on communities of color.
Big Pharma and the prison industry are colluding to overmedicate incarcerated populations
by Boké Saisi Large corporations that own brands such as Victoria’s Secret, Revlon, Old Navy and McDonald’s have come under public scrutiny for using Black and racialized prison labour to manufacture their commodities. Little attention, however, has been paid to Big Pharma’s predatory profiteering from prison labour and the practice of incarceration itself. The Prison […]
The business of prisons and the laws that make sure they exist
by Cheryldean Peters Beginning in the early 1600s, my ancestors were legally forced into slavery and robbed of their freedom. They were involuntarily exploited, beaten and forced to work as servants, which primarily helped generate income for America’s economy. Their servitude drastically enhanced local and colonial economics while creating generational wealth for their oppressors. Africans […]
California uses imprisoned women to fight record-breaking fires
Climate change, compromised liberty interests and capitalism breed conundrums. As California confronts historic wildfires, which killed at least 40 people, wiped out some 5,700 homes and left 400 people missing, people with fewer freedoms volunteered to help fight the fires. Women who are imprisoned contribute labor, along with traditional firefighters and men who are also […]
Private Prison Company Gets Contract for Immigrant Detention Center
According to Mic., the GEO Group has won the first federal contract for a new immigrant detention center in Texas. The contract is worth $110 million and will house 1000 beds for undocumented immigrants or those accused of committing a crime.
The Kalief Browder Docuseries Builds a Clear Case for Prison Abolition
State violence does not only show up as false arrests and physical harm. State violence is also the unwillingness of the State to rehabilitate those that are impacted by it’s terrorizing reach.
Don’t Celebrate Just Yet, The Private Prison Industry Will Still Thrive
On Thursday, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates announced in a memo that, over time, the DOJ will end its contracts with private prison companies that operate 13 facilities within the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). While this is a significant move given the times we live in, these contracts, with Corrections Corporation of America and GEO […]
Aniah Ferguson Is Not A “Brute” and Prison Isn’t the Answer
By Arielle Newton A widely circulated video of a vicious assault of a teenage girl has resulted in the arrest of Aniah Ferguson, the 16 year old Black girl principally involved in the attack. She’s charged as an adult with criminal contempt and mischief. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams offered a $1000 reward for information leading to the […]
Beth Richie on how anti-violence activism taught her to become a prison abolitionist
This post originally appeared on Feminist Wire and was written by Dr. Beth Richie. Dr. Richie is engaged in several research projects designed to explore the relationship between violence against women in low-income African American communities and violence. For more information go to http://www.uic.edu/depts/wsweb/people/faculty/richie. By: Dr. Beth Richie Sometimes we learn our most profound political lessons […]