In addition to the goals above, the purpose of this conference is to bring together those working on prison issues on the "outside" with those struggling on the "inside." Prisoners nation-wide have been invited to participate in the conference, through, for example, solidarity discussions inside the prisons on the days of the conference, preparing statements, involvement in the prison art show, and by working to raise awareness about organizing inside prisons (we are planning to assemble a booklet that will highlight prisoners' organizations and movements).
The Prison Industrial Complex (PIC) generally refers to:
*The exponential expansion of prisons and jails, with rising numbers of men and women from communities of color
*The increasing symbotic relationship between private corporations and the prison industry (construction, maintenance, goods and services)--a relationship in which private corporations feed the punishment industry and the punishment industry yields enormous profits for private corporations
*The reliance of many communities on prisons and jails for short-term economic vitality, particularly in the aftermath of globalization, as corporations migrate to "third world" countries for cheaper labor.
*The increasing political influence of prison guards, prison officials and conservative penologists.
*The collaboration of politicians and the coporate controlled dominant media in the wholesale criminalization of communities of color (and particularly youth of color) and in the representation of prisons as a catch-all solution to social problems.
Information from the Prison Activist Resource Center
