The prison industrial complex is a term that is used to describe the nexus between the interests of private businesses, government institutions, and the prison system. The United States, which holds the largest prison population in the world, has turned prison into a profitable market. This is reflected in public policy and in its position as a structural element in the nation's economy. Indeed, oppositional voices to prison reform have referenced the country's dependence on the labor of incarcerated people as a reason to maintain a deplorable status quo.
So, how does prison labor manage to generate so much profit for private businesses? Click through this gallery to find out.