Prison-industrial complex

The businesses and organizations, both private and public, involved in constructing and maintaining a country s prison system are known collectively as the prison-industrial complex. The term is often used in a negative sense, as it implies a massive, self-sustaining system that relies on the constant supply of offenders for profit. 

Industry and Business. The large number of private companies involved in the prison-industrial complex provide a wide array of services, including the design, construction, and management of prisons. The biggest business sector in United States industry is private prisons. Two of the largest and most influential corporations involved in private prisons are Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and the Wackenhut Corporation, which collectively control the majority of the private prison market. CCA maintains its own penological research institute, which conducts independent studies on the viability of prison privatization. 

---