I wrote this piece largely to point out that sometimes we place too much emphasis on the private prison corporations in our work against mass incarceration. Of course opposing privatization of prisons and carceral expansion in general is necessary, but other companies also play an important role in perpetuating this prison nation. I have tried to touch on a few of those here-from global construction giant Turner to Bob Barker Industries, whose founder claims divine inspiration in marketing his third-rate consumer goods and “retro” striped prison uniforms (see photo) which he calls the “convict classic.” This articles stresses that we are truly dealing with a carceral profiteering complex with many mouths at the trough. Too many of them remain off the radar of those actively campaigning to end mass incarceration.
Link to the article here.