American Prison: A Reporter’s Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment

In 1971, Hutto took over the Arkansas prison system with a Supreme Court mandate to improve its conditions; but he also faced pressure from the state to make the prisons profitable once again. Initially of a rehabilitative mindset—he sees a reformed inmate as socially profitable—Hutto quickly shifted gears, making the prison’s farm operation more efficient and financially profitable. Despite reports of harsh punishments for not meeting work quotes, Hutto was not reprimanded or sanctioned. In the end, the only calculus was profit. Three years into his tenure, an Arkansas appeals court ruled that Hutto had not fulfilled his mandate, describing conditions inside his prisons as “sub-human.” Little changed though because Arkansas reaped millions of dollars in revenue from Hutto’s reign as superintendent.

Years later, after a series of lawsuits forced them to change their tactics, prisons were no longer the money makers they had once been. In fact, most operated at a deficit. The 1980s, however, brought a dramatic increase in the federal and state prison population, and Hutto, savvy businessman that he is, seized the opportunity for profit. After publishing a shorter piece in Mother Jones, Bauer wanted to interview Hutto for American Prison. Initially receptive to the idea, Hutto declined the interview the next day.