Billions Behind Bars

As it turns out we are not the only ones thinking about the American penal system. Next week on October 18th, 2011 at 9 pm EST CNBC will be airing an investigative documentary, “Billions Behind Bars: Inside America’s Prison Industry”. Below is a description of the program from the CNBC website.

“Billions Behind Bars: Inside America’s Prison Industry,” a CNBC original documentary, goes behind the razor wires to investigate the profits and inner-workings of the multi-billion dollar corrections industry. With more than 2.3 million people locked up, the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world. One out of 100 American adults is behind bars – while a stunning one out of 32 is on probation, parole or in prison. This reliance on mass incarceration has created a thriving prison economy. The states and the federal government together spend roughly $74 billion a year on corrections, and nearly 800,000 people work in the industry.

A direct link to the documentary’s website http://www.cnbc.com/id/44762286/ provides some interesting articles, videos and information that the show has complied. Being particularly interested in the economics behind the penal system I look forward to seeing and discussing this program.

This documentary can also be interpreted as an interesting example of the role that the media plays in shaping our impression and thoughts on the prison system. Primetime programs and documentaries such as this one are sometime difficult to take critically and free from influence by the account or opinions being presented.