What are the

societal

purposes of

prisons?

Economic

Growth for

Prison

Industry

Maintaining the

Racial, Social, C

ultural Hierarchy

Physical space to

deal with social and

cultural issues

“A set of bureaucratic, political and economic interests that

encourages spending on incarceration regardless of actual

need”- Eric Schlosser,”The Prison-Industrial Complex”, The

Atlantic.

[The Prison Industrial Complex] “contest[s] prevailing beliefs

that increased levels of crime were the root cause of

mounting prison populations. Instead, they argued, prison

construction and the attendant drive to fill these new

structures with human bodies have been driven by

ideologies of racism and the pursuit of profit.”- Angela Davis.

Are Prisons Obsolete?

“...the Prison Industrial Complex is an interweaving of private

business and government interests. It holds a twofold

purpose, which can be described as profit and social

control.” –Stormy Ogden, “Pomo Woman, Ex-

Prisoner, Speaks Out”

I. There is not a relationship

between crime and prisons Inverse relationship between the crime rate and the growth

of prisons

Prisons do not stop people from committing crimes.

Not all crime is created equal

II. Prisons act as tools of

social control• Relationship between racism and incarceration

• “A geographical solution to socio-economic problems”

• Tim Wise on the connections prison and social control.

III. Prisons serve an

economic imperative• Private prisons make money from „housing prisoners‟

• Prisoners= free* labor

• Manages a restricted labor force

• Example: Central California

Why do sociologists study

the PIC? Prisons are a major part of our society

The intersection of governments, business and ideology

Culture of prison has an impact on communities on „the

outside‟

How is power distributed and manipulated within the PIC?