The Presumption of Innocence - Episode 46

Legal Listening: The Fox Rothschild LLP Podcast

Episode 46 America’s Incarceration Industry: Exposing Private Prisons Peer into the world of prison profiteers with Shane Bauer. Shane’s name may sound familiar. In 2009, he and two friends were hiking near the Iraq-Iran border when they were arrested by Iranian authorities, accused of espionage and imprisoned for more than two years. Extensive international pressure and diplomatic efforts ultimately secured their release. An American journalist and author, Shane decided to dive deeper into the private U.S. prison system after his return to America. Working as an undercover guard in a private Louisiana prison, Shane exposed its conditions and practices in his award-winning book, American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey Into the Business of Punishment. He and host Matt Adams engage in a perspective-shifting conversation on the origins of America’s private prison system, which accelerated in the South after the Civil War. They also discuss the impact of Shane’s book on the industry, which pivoted into immigration detention during the Trump administration.