Incarceration Is A Business

Incarceration Is a Business

In the U.S., incarceration is not only a business, but “Big Business”. Annually, America spends $68 billion and growing on the detention of humans in local, state and federal correction/detention centers. This figure doesn’t include the money private businesses are making off those people incarcerated and their families. Not to mention the millions of dollars, correction enterprises, are making off of the labor and reselling of prison produced products.
Incarceration of humans in America is such a big business that there is laws/public policy in the United States that state: “all able-bodied prison inmates shall be required to perform diligently all work assignments provided for them”. If this is done to provide job skills/rehabilitation, why are so many people, once released with criminal records, out of work? Why are the large majority of these people in prison, from the poor communities?
The privatization of prison and prison labor, aren’t the only participants in the business of incarceration. Also, there are some 501(c) 3 non-profit organizations that receive funding based on the fact that they’re “helping the ex-offender”. Yet when people come home from prison these organizations don’t help! These organizations are raising money and creating movements for “political reasons”, which has nothing to do with helping people restore their honor and obligation through gainful employment and educational opportunities. These individuals because of their misfortune, are being targeted, exploited and virtually enslaved in so many ways.
VICTIMS OF MISFORTUNE is a feature-length, social change documentary that will give a historical and current look at America’s criminal justice system and the discriminatory policies that people with a criminal background face, post conviction/release.

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