Over a decade ago — in response to grassroots organizing against mass incarceration and police violence — a bipartisan coalition took shape. It brought together billionaires, large liberal non-profits, universities, rightwing think tanks, and politicians from both parties. Its stated aim was to reform the bloated criminal justice system on humanitarian grounds. Kay Whitlock argues that it spawned an industry of its own that stood to gain politically and economically from altering and often expanding the carceral system, instead of cutting it back.

Resources:

Prison Policy Initiative “Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie”

Kay Whitlock and Nancy A. Heitzeg, Carceral Con: The Deceptive Terrain of Criminal Justice Reform UC Press, 2021

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