prison industrial complex

or pris·on-in·dus·tri·al com·plex

[ priz-uhn in-duhs-tree-uhl kom-pleks ]

noun

1. the network of government agencies and private industry that foster, benefit from, and contribute to mass incarceration, the imprisonment of large numbers of people:

   The cheapness of prison labor is just one way that the prison industrial complex is used for profit.

Word History and Origins

Origin of prison industrial complex¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, we know that disadvantaged students of color end up being over-represented in the prison-industrial complex.

From The Daily Beast