Various Artists - No More Prisons (1999) (@256)

Relevant to the subject of the last two posts is the US criminal justice policy and the privatisation trend of the US prisons. The latter was first applied in 1984 (another neo-liberal Reaganism), and allowed corporations to build and/or manage prisons. From that point, corrections facilities were not any more institutions aiming to rehabilitate, but branches aiming for profit. Moreover, the B.O.T. contracts between the state and these corrections corporations are such that the latter are paid by the "head" of each prisoner they are housing. Since it is on the state to provide each private prison with "clients" in order their viability to be retainable, the justice policy started to convict less serious offenders, (e.g. for misdemeanor offences). The constant increase of inmates resulted the US to have the highest documented prison population in the world (China ranks second despite having over four times the population of the US). As of 2006, a record 7 million people were behind bars. More than 1 in 100 American adults were incarcerated at the start of 2008; the social implications of such rates are apparent. It should be stressed out that the respective rate for 2006 in Australia was 0.163/100 and in England and Wales 0.139/100.

Check also:
US: America's Private Gulag
Comparative International Rates of Incarceration: An Examination of Causes and Trends Presented to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
Incarceration in the United States

Further reading: Capitalist Punishment: Prison Privatization and Human Rights by Elizabeth Alexander (read an excerpt here)

In this current upload the hip-hop community raises its voice against the ill-fated US criminal justice policy. Emilie Litzell writes for allmusic: "If hip-hop is supposed to be a voice of the urban masses bringing awareness to the injustices of everyday life, too many albums are released devoid of political messages. With that sentiment in mind, Raptivism Records' 1999 release No More Prisons is a gorgeous answer to a full-blown crisis. Uniting underground MCs from coast to coast, No More Prisons comes complete with 23 tracks of personal insight, reflection, and socio-political commentary on the national prison system and the hypocritical foundation those prisons stand on. (...) Rarely does an album come complete with an actual message, conscious content, above-the-board production values, and mad skills behind the mic. When all of those elements are seamlessly blended into a complete expression of unity, watch out. The bar's been raised."

Tracklisting:
01-DJ Shame (Vinyl Reanimators) - Infomercial (Meet The Press)
02-B.K.N.Y. - Where Ya At
03-Sister Asia feat. Steele & Top Dog - Dedicated
04-Danny Hoch - Criminal
05-Vinia Mojica with add. vocals by The Last Emperor - Evolution
06-Apani B-Fly Emcee feat. L.I.F.E. - Outa Site
07-Hurricane G. - No More Prisons
08-Hedrush, Dead Prez & People's Army - Murda Box
09-Daddy-O - Voices
10-Rubberoom - M.O.V.E.
11-The Coup - Drug Warz
12-Helixx C. Armaggedon & Pri the Honey Dark - Lunchbreak
13-Prof. Cornel West - Inspiration
14-The Reepz - The Plan
15-Dead Prez - Behind Enemy Lines
16-Kool DJ EQ feat. The Last Poets - More Prisons
17-Akbar - Battle Cry
18-El Battalion - Siege
19-Scientifik El-D, God Wize, L Da Headtoucha, K-Slaughta - Hold The Key
20-Chubb Rock, Lil' Dap, Edo G., Paw Duke - Rich Get Rich
21-Grandmaster Caz - Too Much
22-Lyric & Mike Ladd - Let Us Go
23-Yazeed - Underground Railroad

album review link: here

download link (with booklet info etc.): here