THE PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

A Civil Liberities Concern for the Black Community

The Hilltop: What is the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC)?

Congresswoman Maxine Waters: The PIC is the result of the American prison
system that has combined crime and punishment with capitalism. The PIC is a
firing engine for private sector prisons and racist legislature. Select
individuals are making money!

TH: Could you explain the ways in which the PIC directly bolsters capitalism?

MW: The PIC uses sheer exploitation through prison labor by private firms,
and by private prisons. Over 10 percent of prisons are privatized. Private
industry businesses make over $40 billion dollars annually from the labor
of prisoners.

TH: How has the war against drugs affected the PIC?

MW: The war against drugs is completely false. The government is making
money and locking up people of color at astronomical rates. Drug cartels
are profiting and not being incarcerated. Only 11 percent of drug
big-timers are actually arrested and prosecuted. Instead poor minority
communities are targeted. Their men are sent off to prison, the women and
children suffer, and their economy suffers, and their civil liberties
disintegrated.

TH: In what ways has the African American community been affected by the PIC?

MW: Drugs, and the so-called "War Against Drugs" have devastated the
African-American community. The government allowed crack and other deadly
drugs to be transported into minority communities. And with stiff drug
laws, mandatory minimums, three and five strike laws, millions of African
Americans are being prosecuted and imprisoned. A one-third of the Black
male population is behind bars, on parole, or probation. And over 40
percent of the prison population consists of Blacks.

TH: Given the current rates of incarceration, over 1.4 million Black men
are currently disenfranchised in America. Within the next 10 years
statistics are predicting that 3 out of 10 Black men will be
disenfranchised. Forty percent of Black males will permanently be
disenfranchised. How will this affect the overall African-American community?

MW: African-American's are losing civil liberties previously gained. If
someone does not wake up, and realize this epidemic, our political plight
could become obsolete. Look at Florida's 2000 voting dispute for instance.
I know for a fact that over 40,000 votes were not counted. And most of
those votes were from communities of color. There were only a few hundred
votes in dispute. But more than 500,000 Floridians were left disenfranchised

TH: Considering the drama over the 2000 Florida election. Why weren't the
votes recounted?

MW: The state of Florida attempted to re-count the votes. But, the Supreme
Court over ruled and decided to keep the results. I am disappointed that in
America, a citizen can try to vote and it not be counted. This has been
happening for years. African-American communities have the hardest time
getting votes counted.

TH: Why are minority communities having difficulties with getting their
votes counted?

MW: A lot of people don't know that property tax dollars are apart of
voting expenses. Meaning that, many minority communities are left with old
voting machines, and inadequate voting materials, and poorly trained voting
aids. A lot of people do not even know the locations of there voting
stations. Since voting information is usually not mailing out in minority
communities. People of color must go out of there way to make sure that
they know proper voting protocol, they must overcompensate to make sure
that there vote is counted. It is there right!

TH: Many people are aware of the disproportionate rates that Black men are
placed in prison. Are any other groups so drastically affected, if so then why?

MW: Black women are the most drastically effected by the so-called "War
Against Drugs." Black women are the fastest rising population of prison
inmates. Drugs have a domino effect. Black women are suffering from
mandatory minimums that facilitate years in prisons from small drug
possessions. Like Kemba Smith, the 23-year-old Hampton student who received
a 24-year mandatory minimum sentence. She was caught in possession of drugs
that belonged to her boyfriend. Although the government admitted that she
never sold, used, or distributed the drug. At 23 years of age she sits in
prison with no chance for parole.

TH: In what ways can Howard University, particularly the African-American
community improve the PIC.

MW: You can start by being cognizant of the problem. By recognizing
racially discriminating legislature the minority community can know what
they are warring against. It is absolutely vital that your congressmen is
aware of your stance, and then hold them accountable.

TH: Hip-Hop often glamorizes quick money, drug money and flashy life
styles. Do you think that this type of music is responsible for the high
incarceration rates of Black men?

MW: I would not say that hip-hop is primarily to blame. But the hip-hop
community needs to take accountability for their actions. They need to be
responsible for the images that they perpetuate to the world.

TH: On 9/11 this country was devastated by terrorism. How has the "War
Against Terrorism" affected the PIC?

MW: 9/11 has presented President Bush with the opportunity to get policies
passed. The issues are framed as war, but many of the policies are just
impeding on our civil liberties.