On Thu, 3 Jun 1999 14:39:31 -0400 sawicky at epinet.org (Max Sawicky)
writes:
>By this logic there ought to be many more imprisoned in
>Europe, where labor markets are slack and unemployment
>higher, and less here, where they are tight. Is this
>not the opposite of the facts, and thus, wouldn't that
>suggest other factors loom much larger?
I think one possible explanation for this is that Europe has traditionally had stronger working class oriented politics than the US. Therefore, the European response to the growth of a surplus population relied more upon expanding the welfare state. In the US the response has been more one of direct repression. Both kinds of responses can be seen as representing efforts at social control. But the American one has involved much more naked repression. Even with the efforts in recent years to roll back the welfare state in Europe, this difference has persisted (although I perceive a drift towards more repressive policies in Europe).
>
>Anybody have stats on the extent of prison labor and
>associated profits in the U.S.? There is a long
>tradition of special deal between politicians and
>business persons to exploit prison labor, but in
>any global sense the benefits of the prison work
>would seem grossly outweighed by the costs.
As long as capital doesn't have to bear these costs, why should they give a fuck.
Jim F.
>
>mbs
>
>>
>> As I recall the Marxist criminologist was predicting these
>> kinds of developments within the criminal justice system
>> well over twenty years ago. His reasoning was that under
>> late capitalism there will be an ever growing surplus
>> population
>> as fewer and fewer workers are required. Therefore, mechanisms
>> for repressing this growing surplus population would be
>> required, preferrably carried out in ways profitable
>> to capital.
>> Hence, Quinney predicted that there would be a rapid expansion
>> of the prison-indsutrial complex.
>>
>> Jim F.
>>
>
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