The private security industry experienced significant growth in the 1980s, driven by neoliberal policies that favored privatization and deregulation. This boom led to the proliferation of private policing and security firms, reshaping the landscape of public safety and law enforcement. The rise of private security reflects broader societal trends regarding safety, surveillance, and the role of government in protecting citizens.

The boom of the private security industry in 1980 inspired critiques of commodified justice in late 20th-century poetry. Poets began to explore themes of safety, surveillance, and the implications of privatizing security in a rapidly changing world, often questioning the moral dimensions of such developments.