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More evidence that it's the prison economy, stupid

By Douglas A. Berman

This local article from North Carolina, headlined "Expanding prisons mean more jobs," highlights how mass incarceration trends get supported by what could be called prison-idustrial complex:With the new state budget, lawmakers have approved more than $30 million over the past two years to expand the state prison in Scotland County, which opened just five years ago.  The prison is one of six that state lawmakers have approved since 2001 to address a dire need for prison space, and they are already being expanded.  When complete, the construction and expansions at all six facilities will have cost more than $700million and operating costs will top $100 million annually. Projects like the one in Scotland have become a boon for rural, economically distressed counties...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on July 21, 2008 (boomark / email).