Surplus Value: The Political Economy of Prisons and Policing

Abstract

The past decade has witnessed massive growth in the United States in both prison construction and levels of incarceration, especially in racially configured terms. These increases, which are related, have occurred at the same time that profound shifts have taken place in the “foundations” of the American political economy. The question is whether these explosions in prison construction and racially driven incarceration are in any way significantly linked with these broader shifts in political economy.