PIC(The Prison Industrial Complex)

Some news from California, the Golden State, about prison overcrowding got me to thinking about the subject of prisons or the Prison Industrial Complex(PIC). Wikipedia explains the PIC as, a term used to attribute the rapid expansion of the US inmate population owing to the political influence of private prison companies and businesses that supply goods and services to government prison agencies.

Angela Davis of 70’s fame with the well-coiffed fro’ is an advocate that speaks out against the PIC. She released a CD and book of the same name. Davis brought to the forefront the racism, homelessness, unemployment, drug addiction, mental illness, and illiteracy of the PIC. These are in addition to putting people in cages. She’s not simply a sympathizer but once was a political prisoner. The retired Professor of History and former director of the feminist studies department at the University of California, Santa Cruz speaks from experience as an activist/advocate.

Last month the U.S. Supreme court ordered California to reduce overcrowding in its prisons. Situations within the prison walls are severe. Prisons are designed to hold 86,000 but are currently housing as much as 143,000. This infringes on their Eighth Amendment right regarding cruel and unusual punishment. Cages designed to house two inmates are housing five, sometimes more. Many are sitting in there own fecal matter. Inmates are denied basic health care and die. Other prisoners are exposed to infectious diseases as are the prison staff. This isn’t a new thing or issue for California’s prison system. It has been an issue for some time. The state has failed to reduce the overcrowding numbers. The state has been given two years to get the number down to 137 percent of design capacity, a reduction of 33,000 inmates. This brings many other problems like who would receive lessened sentences.

Three strikes laws are statutes enacted by state governments in the United States which require the state courts to hand down a mandatory and extended period of incarceration to persons who have been convicted of a serious criminal offense on three or more separate occasions. These statutes became very popular in the 1990s. Twenty- four states have some form of habitual offender laws.

In 1994, California legislators and voters approved a major change in the state’s criminal sentencing law, (commonly known as Three Strikes and You’re Out). The law was enacted as Chapter 12, Statutes of 1994 (AB 971, Jones) by the Legislature and by the electorate in Proposition 184. As its name suggests, the law requires, among other things, a minimum sentence of 25 years to life for three-time repeat offenders with multiple prior serious or violent felony convictions. The legislature and voters passed the Three Strikes Law after several high-profile murders committed by ex-felons raised concern that violent offenders were being released from prison only to commit new, often serious and violent, crimes in the community.

California is its own worse enemy. Simply locking people in cages, doesn’t correct the behavior. If you keep spanking a child and constantly scolding without teaching them, how do you think it affects the child’s psyche.

Let us travel back in time. In Reagan’s America the prison population more than tripled. Conservatives have the tendency to be harsh in their punishments, they like to point the finger at the perpetrator. The “War On Drugs” (WOD) is one of the biggest waste of America’s monies as well as resources. The prohibition on drugs has been a huge failure.It reminds me of the Nancy Reagan campaign “Just Say No“. I’m not a huge advocate for drugs or drug use but some people fall into the trap of becoming addicts. People have the right to make that mistake and should be able to choose to. We shouldn’t legislate people’s rights. If we legalized all drugs people would use less. Look at the history of prohibition of alcohol. People are going to use anyway. WOD isn’t necessarily about drugs or drug flow but more about population control. Look at the make up of prisons and also take a close look at the crimes themselves. It’s mostly for possession offenses, victimless crimes. Blacks and Hispanics have been targeted the most and more harshly. Within certain communities the poorer you are the harsher the sentences. These harsh laws were set up to control population they were worried about expanding. Look at the history of prohibition starting in the early 30’s and look at the different ethnic groups during that time and how big government was trying to control what they could and could not do. Remember in our America there is a caste system; it’s called class warfare and it’s a real issue. The poor, the lost, the abandoned and the voiceless.

Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America(CWA) was a huge windfall. One of the many issue we deal with now is rehabilitation. We no longer care or have compassion. Most Repubs. believe you deserve your just do punishment. What happened to the love of God, that you say you believe in. Stop thinking for people allow them to make the ones they’ve wronged to be made whole. CWA worried to get rid of the 1994 crime bill. The CWA also got rid of Pell Grants for prisoners as well as college subsidies available to capable, low-income students. They want the prison population STUPID!

You may ask how does all this tie in. Prisons are big business. One…as mentioned, it’s primarily used for population control Two…certain communities are affected more than others i.e., Blacks and Hispanic. Three…prisons are being built based on test scores of black students as far back as second grade. They are the potential blight and future criminals. Four… the PIC overall is big and good business. This is another example of corporate welfare.

Why are prisons privately owned? They receive large grants for their cages. An inmate is usually $60,000 a piece. The over- head is low but the profit margin is very high. This is a debate to come. This post is but a starting point.

John Jones

The NON-Conformist