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Security: what does it mean?

Security is the great commodity of our time," writes Jonathan Simon in Poor Discipline. Government is often defined by its ability to manage our security through labor market-based systems like unemployment insurance, social security, workers' compensation, and centralized banking. But for unemployed and under educated populations living life outside the labor market, security comes in the form of detention and imprisonment. However, monolithic, expensive forms of control like prisons for poor neighborhoods are increasingly being called on to account for their efficiency, especially in the face of successful security techniques like gated communities for well-off neighborhoods. As prisons give way to calls for less expensive and more sophisticated forms of security, "incarcerated communities" will likely see an increase in security measures, such as substance abuse testing, electronic monitoring, global positioning satellite tracking, and increased freedom to stop, search, and detain.

Excerpted from the Advanced Studio IV MILLION DOLLAR BLOCKS Project