The New Plantation: Incarceration, Capitalism, and the Oppression of Minorities
Michael Butler
Senior Thesis | 2025
Michael Butler
Senior Thesis
Dr. Alvarez
The New Plantation: Incarceration, Capitalism, and the Oppression of Minorities
The real criminals are right under our noses. They seemingly have no distinct appearance but their voice rules all. America is the land of the free and the land of many opportunities but America is their country. They decide who can obtain the American dream. Corrupt businesses and systems are the factor to these problems and they cannot be stopped because we cannot notice them. And for those who do notice and have the ability to influence their corruption, then it is more than likely that those people are less human than even them. That is because people in power are able to take advantage of people with limited opportunities and resources through systems like incarceration and prison.
While the incarceration system unjustly procures people, prison serves to keep them in a perpetual cycle of ruin instead of reformation. Two sources of information have showcased the why and the how, one of them being a documentary from Netflix called 13th. The film explains how despite the 13th amendment being passed and slaves believing they were free, slavery still exists today in the legal form of criminal punishment. The film explores a loophole with the American incarceration system and how it contributes to systemic racism. Even though African Americans make up a small percentage in America, they make up most of the
number in prison as well. African Americans are depicted as criminals and a danger to society. The film mentions victims like Emmett Till and Trayvon Martin as direct examples of injustice towards black people to prove that people fear African Americans because of the color of their skin and that fear leads to violence and hatred. But at the core heart of it, the film tries to portray that African Americans are humans too.
The other source is a book by author Michelle Alexander titled The New Jim Crow. The book comments on a new system through the justice system where the government supports and funds racial acts of the imprisonment of black people. After serving their terms, they are unable to lift themselves back up to society since the label of felon will follow them everywhere. The toughest part about the situation is that it is hard for the average citizen to notice this problem and in order for it to be resolved, everyone must acknowledge it and work on tearing this corrupt system down. Michelle Alexander calls this the “New Jim Crow” because it is a newer version of Jim Crow, a period that had sets of laws enforcing racial segregation and discrimination, that is fit to adapt in this society which no longer accepts racial acts. Michelle Alexander explains the cause and effects the justice system has on African Americans and how this can be combated throughout the book. Both pieces explore why minorities are taken advantage of and the effects incarceration has on them as a result. Prison is just a business and the minority are forced to be customers. The incarceration process is a modern form of slavery made to benefit the powerful and harm the minority.
Schools are the gateway to slavery camps. To be more specific, schools with little to no funding or resources lead children astray from a normal childhood. Instead, it leads them to a path of crime. Commonly known as the school-to-prison pipeline, the problem starts at childhood where children are set up for failure in many ways at low-resourced schools. The lack of money and a proper institution results in fewer quali-fied teachers and insufficient funding for needs. Having no access to tools such as counselors, special edu-cation services, and even textbooks forces students into poor educational envi-ronments. Schools feel the need to enforce zero-tolerance policies due to lacking resources, needing to push out low-performing students, and having an effective response to school shootings. In which case, these schools end up hiring school resource officers to patrol the hallways. They often have little or no training in working with children. Students are much more likely to be victims of arrest as a result. These policies were initially intended to address serious offenses like weapon possession and drug use but have watered down to include minor infractions such as talking back to teachers or dress code violations. The majority of arrests being for nonviolent offenses emphasizes the injustice in all this. Suspensions, expulsions, and school arrests caused by zero-tolerance policies push children out of classrooms and into the criminal or juvenile justice system which leave them with a permanent record. Being unable to access proper educational needs and getting suspensions and expulsions increases lack of engagement in school resulting in dropouts. It often leaves children unsupervised, without productive activities, falling behind work, as well as increasing the risk of being involved in court later on. And considering that fact, up to
80% of children in courts do not have lawyers giving them no chance at all. Students pushed along the pipeline find themselves in juvenile detention facilities. With their mentality affected and their record stained through entering the juvenile justice system, students face many barriers to enter back to schools. The vast majority of these students never graduate from high school so getting into good jobs is near impossible.
Minorities such as people of color or students with disabilities are majorly affected by this system. They are often targeted by school resource officers or lack the support or money to be placed in better schools. For example, black students are 4 times more likely to be suspended than white students for the same infractions. And schools most affected by these issues of lack of funding and resources are mostly from Black and Latino communities. Economic disparities play a crucial role because schools in low income neighborhoods, which are usually filled with students of color, often have fewer resources. With little access to school counselors and academic support, students are more likely to struggle and act out which usually results in harsh disciplinary measures acted upon them.
Even on a psychological level, students develop mental problems and have to suffer alongside being led to a path of criminalization by this system. Many children who experience harsh disciplinary measures develop anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. The stigma of being labeled as a troublemaker can lead to low self-esteem, disengagement from school, and difficulty forming positive relationships. Schools can call parents and inform them of the “trouble” their children have
caused and parents can punish their children in various ways including physically to discipline them. Children can develop low self-esteem from feeling like they are a failure for not doing well and these negative emotions will only further fuel bad behavior or mental problems. It seems that rather than setting up institutions to help struggling children, punishing them is much easier and cheaper.
With society revolving around money, the justice system and incarceration thrives on rewarding the rich and punishing the lower class. The justice system is meant to be a fair judge of law but in reality, money determines how guilty you are. People who have the financial resources have more leeway in the legal system. From securing the best lawyers to paying bail and avoiding extended jail time, the rich have significant advantages that allow them to avoid or mitigate criminal sentences. Meanwhile, the poor, who often cannot afford to obtain any of these are left vulnerable to harsher penalties and systemic neglect. One of the clearest examples of this disparity is the bail system. The wealthy who are accused of crimes can often post bail immediately, allowing them to remain free while awaiting trial. In contrast, lower class individuals are frequently trapped in jail for weeks or months simply because they cannot afford it. This can not only disrupt their lives and cause them to lose jobs, relationships, or homes but it can also pressure them into accepting plea deals, a legal agreement in which the defendant pleads guilty for a lesser charge. Even when they may be innocent, people might accept plea deals just so they could quicken their release. The ability to buy freedom before trial is an unfair luxury to the rich. The ability to afford top tier attorneys who have the resources and ability to build strong
cases, challenge evidence, and negotiate favorable deals further deepens this inequality. Low-income defendants often rely on public defenders who lack the time and resources to give their cases the attention they need. As a result, the lower class is far more likely to receive harsher sentences, while the rich are often able to minimize their punishment or avoid incarceration altogether. Even after sentencing, the disparity remains the same in prison since most likely or not, the rich are sent to minimumsecurity prisons with better conditions. Meanwhile, the poor are left to rot in dangerous prisons filled with criminals who have committed atrocious crimes.
Someone to note is famous rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs who was recently arrested a couple months ago and was charged for sex trafficking, racketeering and other federal offenses. He is a prime example of wealthy privilege but first, it is necessary to go over the atrocities he has allegedly committed to gain a better understanding. An attorney, Tony Buzzbee, claimed to be representing 120 accusers who have come forward with sexual assault allegations against Diddy. Buzbee mentions that 25 out of the 120 “victims” were minors at the time when it happened. One individual claimed he was 9 years old when he was abused. Buzbee said more than 3,280 individuals contacted his firm and alleged they were victimized by Diddy and that after consideration, he decided to represent 120 people. Other cases are still being reviewed and some of his clients have spoken with the FBI. Police have found countless shady video footage evidence from Diddy and have collected numerous items like hundreds or thousands of bottles of baby oil and adult toys of his that may be connected to the case. Although he is not convicted yet, it seems almost obvious
that he is guilty with all the evidence at hand. He remains in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn currently and most likely living a more comfortable life than most inmates because of his power and influence. It would not be a stretch to say he runs the prison simply because he is connected to powerful people outside of the detention center so inmates would feel less likely to mess with him and instead follow whatever he says. If what he allegedly did out of prison was bad then the actions he could possibly do to other inmates would be unimaginable. Is it fair that other criminals who have committed minor crimes or done things out of necessity for survival have to be stuck with people like Diddy?
Prisons are meant to rehabilitate offenders but placing lowlevel “criminals” alongside ones who are extremely dangerous would do the opposite. Some people have been falsely accused or have only committed minor crimes like theft or selling drugs out of desperation. Some acts may be unjustifiable but for the ones who have not done anything serious or needed to do so simply to survive, being incarcerated in a prison filled with violent and mentally ill criminals is going overboard. The constant exposure to extreme danger, erratic behavior, and an environment where violence is a daily reality creates psychological trauma to inmates. One major issue is that prisons operate on survival-based hierarchies. When nonviolent offenders, such as those convicted of drug possession or theft, are placed in a room with violent criminals, they are often forced to adapt to the brutal prison culture just to survive. This may mean joining gangs, engaging in violence, or learning criminal tactics from those who have committed much more serious offenses. Survival often requires
someone to get aggressive or highly defensive behaviors in order to be safe from the other prisoners leading to several mental health issues. Even those who enter prison with no history of mental illness may develop PTSD, depression, or anxiety disorders due to the stress of their environment. The lack of proper mental health care in many prisons worsens the situation. Correctional officers are often not capable enough to handle such individuals and rather than receiving treatment, mentally ill prisoners are frequently placed in solitary confinement. This creates a cruel cycle where their conditions worsen, making the prison an even more dangerous and unstable place. The toll of being surrounded by murderers, rapists, and gang leaders can not only traumatize people who originally were of little threat to society but it can even turn them into hardened criminals themselves. Instead of rehabilitating, the system turns these individuals into more dangerous criminals than they were before they entered. Former prisoners who have endured such a brutal environment would struggle to reintegrate into society once released. The survival tactics they developed in prison would not translate well into normal life. Many would find it difficult to trust other people or establish healthy relationships. The trauma from being held in prison with all those other criminals would make it common for them to have outbursts, paranoia, or do substance abuse as a way to cope. Society condemns former prisoners as well since many employers refuse to hire ex-convicts, landlords reject them as a resident, and even friends and family might distance themselves. Without support, many would struggle to find legal ways to survive, increasing the chance of reoffending and returning to prison. A better approach in avoiding this route would be separating inmates based on the severity of their offenses
and focusing on rehabilitating those who can still be put back into society instead of exposing them to an environment that traps them in a cycle of crime and suffering. But of course, time is money and time and effort towards criminals is simply just a waste. Paralleling the school-to-prison pipeline, what the schools and prison both have in common is the lack of help for treatment or recovery. Like what was previously said, the system is designed to keep minorities or low-income people stuck and in a worse position than they are now.
Private prisons are a racist business deep in its roots meant to dehumanize prisoners while the wealthy profit off of it. Private institutions for prisons all began way back at a time where slavery ended and the economy was left in shambles so something had to be done. The roots of mass incarceration can be traced back towards after the Civil War when slavery was abolished in 1865. The economy of the South, which depended on slavery and free labor, faced an economic crisis due to the abolishment of slavery. Although the 13th Amendment got rid of slavery, it included a loophole that allowed forced labor as punishment for a crime. Southern states took advantage of laws that criminalized minor infractions such as loitering and unemployment which solely targeted a majority of freed black people and allowed white landowners to make use of slavery through black people once again. The prison system ended up being the solution and used as a tool of racial oppression. It was used to ruin black reputation to ensure that African Americans remained the way Americans perceived them as before, violent and ignorant animals by nature. This system has not only destroyed Black communities but has also created a corrupt industry that profits off of racism and
suffering. The criminalization of African Americans continued through Jim Crow laws, lynching, and segregation. Mass incarceration became more structured during the war on drugs. In the Netflix documentary, 13th, one of Nixon’s administrators admitted to portraying African Americans as criminals:
“The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people… We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”
Incarceration was used as a political weapon to destroy black communities and reinforce racial stereotypes. Prison systems saw a greater influx of African Americans over time as a result which generated an industry of private prisons serving as a byproduct of racial state violence in a capitalist society. These corrupt private institutions which profit off of imprisoning people get deals to improve their establishment with our taxes. Private prisons push for tougher laws and longer sentences to keep prisoners in their institutions and use them for cheap labor.
In some cases, prisoners are forced to work for major corporations. Alabama’s prison labor system is a form of modern day slavery due to the fact that they exploit their prisoners for profit by making them work for private companies and big
corporations while being denied basic rights. Major businesses like Best Western, Bama Budweiser, and Burger King give contracts to prisoners from one of the most violent prison systems in the United States. Since 2000, they have generated over $250 million for the state through money garnished from prisoners’ paychecks. Most jobs are inside facilities where the inmates, who are mostly made up of black people, can be sentenced to hard labor and forced to work for free. More than 10,000 inmates have logged a combined 17 million work hours outside Alabama’s prison walls since 2018, for entities like city and county governments. And for those who refuse to work, they can receive punishments like losing family visitations, being transferred to high security prisons, or having their chances for parole at risk. In Alabama, parole is already a rarity with only 8% of prisoners being granted one during 20232024 which is one of the lowest rates in the nation. Prisoners are pressured into working, not for rehabilitation, but for cheap productive labor. Even prisoners who enjoy the chance to get to work and be reintegrated back into society often see little reward. After taxes and state deductions, many only earn $100 to $200 after working 40 hours a week. A hired inmate named Arthur Ptomey, who lost his job at KFC for complaining about his low wages, exemplifies this injustice. He was denied parole because of it and even teenagers who had a more simple task in the job earned more than him. Not only is being treated like a slave a cruel experience but the condition of the work can be life threatening. Prisoners working outside of facilities often have little or no supervision which can lead to escapes or worse, prison workers could die due to unsafe conditions. A man named Braxton Moon who had to do road work told his mother how terrifying his
working condition was because he had to deal with speeding vehicles on the road. Despite his mother pleading for her son to quit, especially since he was only making $2 a day, he had told her that working was better than rotting in jail and waiting for the time to go by. He tragically died two weeks later after being hit by a tractor trailer in a hit and run at just the age of 21 ending his life in an instant and traumatizing his mother and loved ones. Another example is a story of a man named Jake Jones, a prisoner with a history of escaping and substance abuse. He was entrusted with driving other prisoners to their jobs which led to a fatal accident at one point when Jones lost control of the transport van, killing two men. Survivors of the crash questioned why someone with that kind of a record was put in charge. The department determines which prisoners are employed based on how well they have behaved in prison instead of what put them there. Men and women with records for violent crimes like murder and assault could be working in the area and no one would have a clue about it. The disregard for prisoner safety and the recklessness of the Alabama Department of Corrections not only shows how inhumane treatment towards prisoners is but it also potentially puts the public in danger. Prisoners nationwide cannot organize, protest or strike for better conditions either. They are not classified as employees despite being one so companies are not responsible if they are harmed or killed. Alabama is treading the line of slavery without any repercussions, posing the question: how long will this continue and can it get even worse? The loophole of the 13th Amendment which abolished slavery “except as a punishment for crime” has allowed states like Alabama to continue exploiting prisoners for profit under the guise of punishment. Even though Alabama
recently removed this clause from its state constitution, the governor issued an executive order revoking the ability for prisoners who refuse to work to shorten their sentence by having good behavior. The move mainly further pressures prisoners not to decline jobs which only confirms that the prison labor system is not about rehabilitation but about generating money. Alabama’s reliance on prison labor ties back to the post-Civil War era when the economy collapsed after slavery was abolished. During this time, young black men were often arrested for minor offenses and forced to work in dangerous conditions for private companies. Alabama’s system still clearly persists today considering the majority of its prison workers are black and the state continues to profit from their work.
In the current world of America, money determines freedom and skin determines fate. The flaws within the American incarceration system and the school-to-prison pipeline reveal that the justice system is not designed to rehabilitate but rather to oppress and profit. The similarities between modern day incarceration and historical slavery are one in one. Systemic racism and economic exploitation work hand in hand to keep minorities trapped in a cycle of poverty and criminalization. One of the most demoralizing aspects is that many common citizens tend to view all criminals as subhuman simply because they have committed a crime without considering the context of their actions. This dehumanization stems from the tendency to see morality in black and white. “Good" people obey the law and "bad" people violate it. But this mindset ignores the more complex factors that contribute to criminal behavior. Poverty, mental illness, abuse, upbringing, and systemic inequality play big roles in why people commit
crimes yet these are frequently overlooked because it is easier to judge at first glance rather than looking deeper into it which takes too much time and effort. The media reinforces the negative perception of people who commit crimes through the news. It focuses on the worst aspects of crime without exploring the circumstances that led them to break the law. This selective narrative pushes society to fear and despise all criminals regardless of what crime they committed and with what context because all prisoners tend to be grouped up as the same. Many people will believe that criminals deserve harsh punishment rather than rehabilitation as a result. By reducing criminals to nothing more than their worst actions, society strips them of their humanity and ignores the deeper societal issues that contribute to crime in the first place.
The problem is not the people but the system itself. TINA or “there is no alternative” is a popular phrase that has been used to reinforce the idea that the current system, usually one that benefits the wealthy and powerful, cannot be changed. It is a tool to discourage people from striving for alternative ways to better society. As some would think: “Sure, we do not have the best system but it is also not the worst. Look at the people in this country! They do it worse than us!” People are inclined to compare their state to others which gives them some sense of betterment and will give them more reason to believe that there is no need to fix what is since there is still stability. Most people fall for this political slogan because they believe that the world that it is now is an objective truth. It feels almost impossible as an individual to change the world especially knowing how unrealistic it is for everyone to unite together for that cause as well so one would feel
that responsibility is solely up to them, making them quick to give up and accept “reality.” This concept only serves to ignore issues such as inequality, exploitation, and all the other things wrong with society. By recognizing corruption and raising awareness on them, getting rid of these awful systems is possible. This is beyond just giving criminals a better time in prison. It is simply fixing what prisons are supposed to be: a place that rehabilitates people. Solutions can range from abolishing private prisons, changing sentencing laws to reduce harsh penalties for nonviolent offenses, redirecting taxes from prisons to education programs, and dividing prisons depending on the degree of the crime someone committed. Once people can acknowledge this oppressive system and its deeprooted racism and economic corruption, only then can America truly become a land of freedom and opportunity for everyone rather than a business that profits off of its citizens in the worst way.
It can be argued that the prison system serves as an effective deterrent to crime. Strict sentencing and incarceration discourage individuals from engaging in criminal behavior out of fear of punishment. Supporters of this perspective can point to declining crime rates in certain areas and that zero-tolerance policies or harsh punishment contribute to safer communities. Relying on harsh punishments will only make communities begin to fear and distrust law enforcement and the justice system. This can discourage people from reporting crimes or cooperating with police officers making communities less safe. Instead of seeing the law as a system of justice, people will view it as an oppressive force. And making laws stricter and punishments harsher does not address the root of the problem. Many people commit crimes
because they are in poverty or have a mental illness. Simply increasing the severity of punishment ignores the reasons why people commit crimes in the first place. Additionally, it can be argued that modern prison systems contribute to significant reforms as well. Modern prison systems have implemented rehabilitation programs to try to reduce former criminals from reoffending while helping inmates reintegrate into society. These tactics include educational courses, employment training, and therapeutic programs made to address the underlying factors that cause criminal behavior. Some states have implemented measures to reduce mandatory minimum sentences, promote alternatives to incarceration, and provide reentry services to help former inmates reintegrate into society as well. Though they can show good results, there are many challenges and limitations. Many inmates do not have access to educational and employment training due to overcrowding and lack of resources. Even with training, former inmates face discrimination in employment anyways. And private prisons have little incentive to rehabilitate inmates in the first place because they profit from high incarceration rates. While flaws do exist, one can only hope that the system is evolving towards being more just and rehabilitative rather than being a mechanism of oppression.
Works Cited
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