Key Questions

• What is the true purpose of prison—punishment, rehabilitation, or profit?

• Who benefits from mass incarceration?

• Can a society be free when so many of its citizens are behind bars?

The Rise of Mass Incarceration

The United States has less than 5% of the world’s population but nearly 25% of the world’s prison population.

Why?

Starting in the 1970s, a series of policies—often labeled the “War on Drugs”, “Tough on Crime”, and “Three Strikes”laws—led to a massive increase in incarceration. But this explosion in prison populations disproportionately affected poor people and communities of color, especially Black and Latino men.

From Rehabilitation to Retaliation

Originally, prisons were designed with the idea of rehabilitation—that people could be reformed and returned to society. But over time:

• Sentences got longer

• Mandatory minimums removed judges’ flexibility

• Parole became rarer

• Programs for education and reentry were slashed

In many cases, punishment replaced healing. Control replaced compassion.

Prisons as Big Business

Private prison companies profit directly from incarceration. They are paid per prisoner, per day. Their profits increase when:

• More people are locked up

• Sentences are longer

• Alternatives to prison (like rehab or probation) are denied

Some private prison corporations even have “bed quotas”—contracts that guarantee a certain number of people will be imprisoned. This turns incarceration into a financial incentive, not a justice decision.

The Prison–Industrial Complex

Coined by activists, this term refers to the web of interests—corporations, politicians, lobbyists, and even unions—that benefit from locking people up.

It’s a system where:

• States pay millions to keep prisons full

• Rural towns rely on prisons for jobs

• Lobbyists fight against criminal justice reform

• Corporations use prison labor for low or no pay

This raises an ethical question: Should anyone profit from punishment?

A Tale of Two Systems

• A wealthy person who commits a white-collar crime may never see a jail cell.

• A poor teenager caught with a small amount of drugs might serve years.

Prison is not just a response to crime—it’s often a response to poverty, trauma, and racial injustice.

Reflection Exercise

Imagine you live in a country where schools are underfunded, but prisons have flat-screen TVs and corporate sponsors.

Where your neighbor disappears into prison for years for a minor offense, but your mayor receives campaign donations from private prison companies.

Would you feel free?

Would you feel safe?

Would you call that system just?

Suggested Readings / Media

• Michelle Alexander – The New Jim Crow

• Angela Davis – Are Prisons Obsolete?

• Ava DuVernay’s documentary – 13th

• Reports from The Sentencing Project and Equal Justice Initiative

Discussion Prompts

• Should prisons be allowed to operate for profit?

• How can a justice system balance public safety and rehabilitation?

• What would a world without prisons look like?

Next Lesson Preview

Lesson 4 – Immigration and Borders: Who Deserves to Belong?

Next, we explore how laws, walls, and citizenship define who is “in” and who is left out.

“Prisons do not disappear social problems. They disappear human beings.”

— Angela Y. Davis