Pros And Cons Of Private Prisons

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Introduction
Private prisons are those that are privately owned, operated, or managed, under contract to government. No prison today is completely private, in the sense of being independent of government authority, control, and revenue (Logan, 1990). Private prisons now operate only under contract to government (Logan, 1990). Hence, they may often be referred to simply as “contractors,” “vendors,” or “service providers.”
There has been a marked increase in the privatization of correctional facilities during the past 30 years (Armstrong, 2001). The United States (U.S.) already has more than 164 private correctional facilities operated by more than 14 major corporations such as Corrections Corporations of America (CCA) and Wackenhut (Armstrong, …show more content…
Contracting enhances justice by making prison supply more responsive to changes in demand, both upward and downward. Contractual wardens have an incentive to govern inmates fairly in order to enhance their legitimation, induce cooperation, lower costs, and ensure renewal of contracts (Logan, 1990). Contracting, in conjunction with governmental monitoring, adds a new layer of independent review of correctional decisions and actions, thus improving due process.
Cost. One of the most difficult challenges facing corrections agencies is controlling costs without changing the essential character of the system, losing important programming, or neglecting inmates’ general and individual needs (Mays & Winfree, 2013). Contracting allows prisons to be financed, sited, and constructed more quickly and cheaply than government prisons. Contracting discourages waste because prodigality cuts into profits (Logan, 1990). Contracting makes true costs highly visible, allowing them to be analyzed, compared, and adjusted (Logan, 1990). Contracting, through more effective personnel management, better working conditions, and less overcrowding, may increase employee morale and productivity while lowering absenteeism and turnover (Logan, 1990). In every area of contracting out for traditionally government-provided services that has been evaluated, contracting out produces savings of from 10 to 50 percent (Benson, …show more content…
The ongoing problem was, is, and will be institutional crowding. At the end of 2010, 19 states and the federal government reported inmate populations over their highest rated capacity (the number of inmates that the facility can hold at a maximum), and 25 states and the federal government exceed their lowest rated capacity (the number of inmates that the facility should hold for maximum operational efficiency and effectiveness) (Mays & Winfree, 2013). Overall, state prisons were operating at one percent under their highest rated capacity and nine percent above their lowest rated capacity in 2010; the federal prison system was at 36 percent above their capacity (Mays & Winfree, 2013). Contractors can help alleviate today’s capacity crisis by building new prisons faster than the government can. Contracting facilitates the distribution of inmates across agencies or jurisdictions, thereby maintaining occupancy rates at an efficient level (Logan,
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