An Examination of Modern Prison Industries

• In Event: How Law, Politics, and Economy Shaped Mass Incarceration

Abstract

Building from historical context on how state prison industries came to be and theory about what they should aim to do, this study seeks to understand the structure, function, and purpose of modern-day prison industries. Using data from surveys of prison industry administrators, this study will examine the scale, scope, and types of work within state prison industries, as well as how prison industries benefit the state. Data include the costs of operation, revenue generated, types of goods and services produced, job types, employment rates, wages, industry locations, and types of industries. Comparing surveys at different points over time, I will examine how prison industries have changed to inform an understanding of how they operate today. The findings will illuminate the role of the state more broadly, including and beyond departments of corrections, in prison labor and industry.

Author

• Julia Bowling, Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice