NATIONWIDE — Today, criminal justice advocacy organization Worth Rises released its newest report: The Prison Industry: How It Started, How It Works, How It Harms. The most comprehensive resource published about the prison industry to date, the report is a deep foray into the history, business, and impact of the prison industry and all its corporate players.

“This report was designed to be an educational resource about the true scope of the prison industry. It’s tailored to advocates, our community, and our allies in the fight to dismantle the prison industry and build toward abolition,” said Bianca Tylek, Executive Director for Worth Rises. “The prison industry has managed to persist and thrive in large part because it remains shrouded in obscurity. This report breaks down the prison industry in layman’s terms. It illuminates the role of the private sector in mass incarceration, so it can’t hide anymore. We hope this report will inspire and be a tool for advocacy going forward.”

The Prison Industry: How It Started, How It Works, How It Harms delves into the twelve sectors of the the prison industry, including: architecture and construction, operations and management, personnel, programs and labor, equipment, data and information, telecom, financial services, food and commissary, healthcare, transportation, and community corrections. It covers the industry’s largest players from CoreCivic and Securus to Aramark and 3M. Each sector chapter also includes a powerful experiential account from someone who has been directly impacted by the harmful practices of the prison industry.

Today’s report also comes a month ahead of a major project announcement from Worth Rises. Stay tuned in January for more details about the first-ever comprehensive academic curriculum on the prison industry, featuring weekly webinars, learning videos, interviews with directly impacted people, and analysis by industry experts.