Prison Industrial Complex

AI, future report, future scenario, future tech, future trends, Robotics, Robots

Ward the Warden: How Gen Z Dismantled the Prison Industrial Complex

November 5, 2025

By Futurist Thomas Frey

Anthony Dorn had never seen the inside of a prison cell, but he’d never been more closely watched.

“Anthony, your cortisol levels suggest you’re stressed about the presentation today,” said Ward, the sleek humanoid robot that had become his constant companion. “Would you like to practice your talking points on the drive over?”

Anthony nodded, grateful. Ward had been tracking his biometrics for months and knew his patterns better than he knew himself. The bot wasn’t there to punish—it was there to help him succeed. And weirdly, it was working.

This is what rehabilitation will be like in 2035.

Business, Economy

Surprising industries profiting from mass incarceration

March 5, 2015

Mass incarceration has become a giant industry in the U.S., so it’s no coincidence that the United States now imprisons more of its people than any other country in the world. This industry generates huge profits not only for private prison companies, but also, for everything from food companies and telecoms to all the businesses that are using prison labor to cut their manufacturing costs. Continue reading… “Surprising industries profiting from mass incarceration”

Analysis, Big Problems, Great Videos, Latest Trend

Inside the Prison Industrial Complex in America

May 25, 2013

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS9Vxt3yQdk[/youtube]

In America today there seems to be an extremely problematic phenomenon of the ever growing industry of privatized prisons across America, generally referred to as the Prison Industrial Complex, as well as skyrocketing rates of incarceration that leave the rest of the nations of the world trailing behind.

Continue reading… “Inside the Prison Industrial Complex in America”