Punishment in the US is a profit driven enterprise.
The Prison-Industrial Complex is a term attributed to Angela Davis, referring to the mutually beneficial cooperation between government and private industry in maintaining and expanding the US criminal justice system. Read Davis’ book Are Prisons Obsolete to learn more about the relationship between profit, race, gender, and mass incarceration.
The prison industry makes huge sums at all stages of involvement – from transportation to probation – by cutting corners and promoting neglect and abuse.
Because prisons are built on reform, new reforms often just mean expansion, and restorative justice may just widen the net of government reach if it is not used intentionally to reduce incarceration.
