This article examines how prison work functions as a site where neoliberal and carceral capitalist logics are reproduced across individual, organisational and societal levels. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in a private UK prison, we argue that confinement exacerbates prisoners’ obsession with money and predatory entrepreneurialism, reflecting and reinforcing the broader dynamics of carceral capitalism at each level. By analysing these interconnected dynamics, we demonstrate how incarceration perpetuates these logics. Furthermore, we illustrate how prison work perpetuates neoliberal exploitation, surveillance and control, hindering rehabilitation and societal reintegration. Our analysis underscores the need for a comprehensive reassessment of the Prison Industrial Complex. We conclude that rather than viewing prisoners as a captive audience for reproducing carceral capitalism, prisons should be reimagined to prioritise the humanity of those impacted by the criminal justice system and to create alternative models of accountability and social transformation.

中文翻译：

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（正在）时间就是金钱：监禁、监狱工作和囚禁资本主义的复制


本文探讨了监狱工作如何成为新自由主义和囚禁资本主义逻辑在个人、组织和社会层面上被复制的场所。借鉴在英国一所私营监狱中进行的民族志研究，我们认为监禁加剧了囚犯对金钱和掠夺性企业家主义的痴迷，反映并加强了各个层面的囚禁资本主义的更广泛动力。通过分析这些相互关联的动态，我们展示了监禁如何使这些逻辑永久化。此外，我们说明了监狱工作如何使新自由主义的剥削、监视和控制永久化，阻碍改造和社会重新融合。我们的分析强调了对监狱工业综合体进行全面重新评估的必要性。我们得出的结论是，与其将囚犯视为复制囚禁资本主义的俘虏观众，不如重新构想监狱，优先考虑受刑事司法系统影响的人的人性，并创造问责和社会转型的替代模式。