Editing Prison–industrial complex (section)

=== 1970s ===
[[File:US incarceration timeline.gif|thumb|420x420px|US incarceration timeline]]In 1973, following the lead of President Nixon, New York State passed the [[Rockefeller Drug Laws]], establishing [[Mandatory sentencing|mandatory minimum prison sentences]] for small-scale drug possession. Although not as harsh as Governor [[Nelson Rockefeller]] had originally called for, these laws inspired other states to enact similarly strict punishments for drug offenses, including mandatory minimum sentences in almost every instance.<ref name=":18">{{Cite news|last=Schlosser|first=Eric|title=The Prison-Industrial Complex|language=en-US|work=The Atlantic|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1998/12/the-prison-industrial-complex/304669/|access-date=2017-11-30|archive-date=October 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020032841/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1998/12/the-prison-industrial-complex/304669/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author1=Madison Gray|date=April 2, 2009|title=New York's Rockefeller Drug Laws|url=http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1888864,00.html|access-date=May 24, 2021|publisher=TIME Inc.|archive-date=May 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511202724/https://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1888864,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Also in 1973, conservative businesses and tough-on-crime politicians came together to establish the influential lobbying group [[American Legislative Exchange Council]] (ALEC).

In 1977, the U.S. Supreme Court case ''[[Jones v. North Carolina Prisoners' Labor Union|Jones v. North Carolina Prisoners’ Labor Union]]'' restricted prisoners’ First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly, and prohibited them from organizing labor unions. In 1979, inspired by legislation proposed by ALEC, the U.S. Congress overturned the New Deal–era legislation against for-profit prison labor by establishing the Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program (PIE). Intended to allow inmates to contribute to society, offset the cost of their incarceration, reduce idleness, cultivate job skills, and improve the rates of successful transition back into their communities after release,<ref name="National Correction Industries">{{cite web|date=2011-12-16|title=Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program (PIECP)|url=http://www.nationalcia.org/piecp-2|access-date=13 October 2017|website=National Correctional Industries Association|archive-date=October 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029091926/http://www.nationalcia.org/piecp-2|url-status=live}}</ref> the PIE program created a cheap captive domestic [[Labour economics|labor market]], which set the stage for the adoption and expansion of private-sector labor in public prisons.<ref name="Hidden History" /><ref name=":18" /> The PIE program also allowed prisons themselves to be privatized and operated as for-profit entities.<ref name="Hidden History">{{cite journal|last1=Elk|first1=Mike|date=August 2011|title=The Hidden History of ALEC and Prison Labor|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/hidden-history-alec-and-prison-labor/|journal=The Nation|access-date=13 October 2017|ref=1|archive-date=October 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013071138/https://www.thenation.com/article/hidden-history-alec-and-prison-labor/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":29" />

Meanwhile, incarceration rates began to soar. After a period of relative stability since 1925 (around 0.1 percent of the population), the overall U.S. imprisonment rate grew rapidly and continuously from 1972, increasing annually by 6 to 8 percent through 2000.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.nap.edu/read/18613/chapter/4|title=Read "The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences" at NAP.edu|year=2014|doi=10.17226/18613|isbn=978-0-309-29801-8|s2cid=155470810 |language=en|access-date=November 24, 2021|archive-date=November 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124230144/https://www.nap.edu/read/18613/chapter/4|url-status=live}}</ref>