This website contains records of the history of prisons in America. These records date back from 1870, when the prison system was supervised by both the Department of Interior and the Department of Justice. These records vary from text (reports, publications) to photographs to maps and one film.
Interestingly enough, there are two prisons that are cataloged separately, McNeill Island, WA and Alcatraz. At the McNeill penitentiary, there was an inmate publication, "Island Lantern" and a staff publicafion as well, "Soundings." However, for Alcatraz, there is only correspondence relating to buildings and grounds. The one film that is on file is "Protecting the People," 1935. There are two sounding recordings produced by the National Parole Conference in 1939.
NIC was established in 1974 as a response to the recommendation of Cheif Justice Warren Burger after the 1971 NY Attica Prison riot. The purpose of NIC is to provide effective management to the prison system in America. It serves as the development office for federal, state and local correction institutions.
NIC is an agency within the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Prisons. The Director is appointed by the US Attorney General. in 1977, NIC became apart of the Bureau of Prisons budget. It's programs are funded by "cooperative agreements."
Enforcer of US Laws and defender of US interests through federal leaderships and programs. It's interesting that this website mentions that it's mission is to also enforce the nations's immigration laws fairly and effectively.
This website also contains text of cases involving the DOJ, press releases, funding opportunities, fugitive and missing persons information. Also, it gives information about how the DOJ has to abide by FOIA regulations.
This is the research branch of the Department of Justice and a component of the Office of Justice Programs. Established in 1968 through the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act. The Director is appointed by the US President and confirmed by the Senate. NIJ is the informer (national and international) and policy maker of crime and justice in America.
Established in 1930 to provide humane care for federal prisoners, professionalize the prison industry and to centralize administration of the 11 prisons in existence at the time in America.
Today there are 98 federal prisons, over 145,000 inmates and a little less than 31,000 employees. The rise of the prison population grew starting in 1980 as the prison industry changed from managing large prisons to smaller prisons.
These institutions only incarcerate criminals who have convicted Federal Crimes. Today 126,000 inmates are in the 98 Federal prisons while the rest are in State or Local prisons and privitized correction institutions through contracts with the Federal government.
Aside from this information, what makes this website stand out is that it gives the description of the federal inmate as well as a contact list of all the 98 Federal prisons.
In1995, student activists of Democratic Socialists of America Youth Section and former prison inmates at the Harlem Community Justice Center came together to form the Prison Moratorium Project (youth led and staffed by volunteers) which focuses on the decrease in funding in the areas of education and reform. There are 4 programs of this organization:
Education not Incarceration
No More Prisons
Teach Justice
(No) Punishment for Profit
This site is based out of Berekely, CA and maintained by the Prison Activits Resource Center. It contains tons of articles, statistics and links regarding the Prison Industrial Complex.
It currently has 5 programs:
Outreach and Public Education
Prisonactivist.org
Prisoner Support Program
Resource Directory
Prison Activist Mailing List
Organized by activits and community leaders who are concerned and want to address the rapid growth of the prison industrial complex. This org is based out of NYC, its goal is to increase public awareness of the Prison Industrial Complex and eventually demolish it.
This site contains links to articles on this subject as well as organizes conferences and rallys.
Established in 1985 as a means to reduce society's dependecy of correctional institutions as a remedy to criminals. This org works with state and local jails by providing provision programs to individuals who are facing imprisonment. Offices are located in D.C. and San Fran.
In San Fran there are 4 programs to help convicted persons and in D.C. there is one program to assist convicted juveniles.
Established in 1907 to promote reforms of societal injustices. This org collaborates with public and private organizations to prevent and reduce crime in America. It provides information through publications and programs of the criminal justice system in areas regarding women in prison, racial inequality among the prison population and juvenile delinquency.
Serves as a platform of information in the area of grassroots organizing around injustices within America. Injustices vary from Corporate Greed to Racism. This site also provides action alerts of the international grassroots community.
Serves as a platform for international and national indepedent media to disseminate information. This is also another grassroots, hardcore leftist website.
This site is dedicated to disseminating information to the general public of human rights in areas of the the international world. Human rights conditions of citizens to prisoners. There is wide variety of reports on international struggles regarding human rights.
Another disseminator of Prison Industrial Complex information, nationally and internationally. It serves as a platform for academians, investors, policy makers and the general public to submit information that follow specific guidelines of this organization as well as a resource for these types of audencies.
Established in 1983, it is the leading private sector of correctional institutions. It collaborates through contracts with Federal, State and Local governments in and outside of the United States.
Its mission is to provide quality correction institutions at a less cost to tax payers through partnerships with governments. The company designs, constructs, finances and manages new and existing facilites. It also provides escort and court services and provides transportation of inmates.
CCA was the first to design a private women's prison (1989) and a juvenile facility (1986), operate a private prison outside of the United States (Borallon Correctional Centre 1990).
Since 1997, it is an affiliate and national supporter of the Boys and Girls Club of America.
Established in 1997, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. PRT operates as a real estate invenstment trust under the Internal Revenue code for income tax purposes. Its stock is publicly traded on the NY stock exchange under the PZN symbol.
PRT formed through the centralized administration of 10 facilities in 5 states totaling $380 million. It houses inmates through the U.S. Department of Justice, INS (Immigration and Naturalization Services), BOP (Bureau of Prisons), USMS (US Marshals Service).
In 1998, PRT merged with CCA and now owns 50 facilities.
9 in Texas
5 in Georgia
4 in CA
4 in Kentucky
4 in Oklahoma
3 in Arizona
1 in Nevada
1 in Montana
1 in Mississippi
1 in Minnesota
1 in D.C.
1 in Florida
1 in Kansas
2 in Ohio
1 in U.K.
