federal inmates, while blacks made up only 35%. Today, the opposite is true with 35% of the prison population made up of whites. Specialists have speculated that by the end of the year 2000, roughly one million African American adults will be behind bars. That will constitute for almost one in every 14 black men being in jail. And as of December 31, 1999 there were 1,366,721 African American men and women under federal and state jurisdiction. This implies that there has been a 3.4% increase since December 1,1998. “The face of crime to white America is now that of a black man” says David Bositis, Center for Political and Economic Studies, senior political analyst. While incarceration statistics have skyrocketed, crime rates have increased much more slowly. Politicians sought out political points by enforcing tough on crime laws. By doing this the politicians increase public panic by portraying the “urban underclass” as young black males. The Prison Industrial ComplexThe Prison Industrial Complex can be described as a contract or lease from a private corporation that allows them to contract convict labor. The government argues that they are merely converting public tax money when in reality it has only provided profit for private corporations. It serves two purposes. The first is to neutralize a portion of the population and the other is to continue exploiting areas where mainly African American prisoners are prevalent. Since private contracts have come into play, there has been an increase in the number of prisoners and an increase in imprisonment costs. The prison industrial complex is not only made up of a set of interest groups, it is also a very manipulative way of thinking. The money hungry corporations are corrupting Americans criminal justice system leading the public to believe that the prisoners are providing a service. When in fact they are increasing their own profits.A prime example of ...
