...A Critical Perspective on Prison Privatization April 6, 2015 A Critical Perspective on Prison Privatization Topic Statement: “Is the privatization of prisons for profit an ethical practice?” The topic of a country privatizing areas of industry is far from a novel idea, especially since the rise of capitalism. With the United States being widely considered the father of capitalism, it is almost expected to see the privatization of a key component of its judicial system, prison, becoming more and more common. Although the underlying function of a prison as a means of social reform has remained constant since its inception in 1750 BCE with the Babylonian Empire, externalities are beginning to influence a change in the governing bodies of penitentiaries (Roberts, 2006). With governments and taxpayers seeing the opportunities for cost savings, countries throughout the world are beginning to employ private operating models for their penitentiaries, with the U.S. being the primary driver of this change (Trivedi, 2014). Framework of the Issue A change in the operating sovereign of a prison, from federal to private, is controversial enough that the effects of this privatization have garnered the title of the Prison-Industrial Complex. The complex is a scholarly attempt to explain the intertwining of the profit-driven agendas of private prison companies and the correlated expansion of the US inmate population. Although cost savings for the government...
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...1) A. Privatization of Jails: Based on my research, the evidence is that the private sector delivers quality correctional services at lower cost to the benefit of taxpayers. Because the taxpayer wants to hold down the spending in corrections, and because prisoners need a place to be jailed and remained jailed, I support the privatization of jails. Pros: • Privatization lends itself for prisons to be run at lower costs. • Privatize prisons don’t have the red tape to cut through, therefore they run more efficiently. • Privatized prisons have a reason to make sure that prisoners get the help that they need which leads to better recidivism Cons: • Transparency into prison life is not guaranteed. • Could result in higher cost depending on contracted agreements for prison needs • Living conditions could be compromised B. Privatization of Public...
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...Privatization of Prisons Private Prison, Inc. Introduction America has been getting tougher on lawbreakers. This is something that the public long has been demanding. The problem it creates, however, is a shortage of prison capacity to hold the increased numbers of convicted criminals. This has led to: prison overcrowding, sometimes prompting court actions against penal systems; rapidly rising operational outlays; and taxpayer resistance to the cost of new prisons. A partial answer to the problems of prison overcrowding and high costs may be the "privatization" of prisons. Costs and overcrowding problems are the driving force behind the privatization phenomenon. As a national average, it costs roughly $20,000 per year to keep an inmate in prison. There are approximately 650,000 inmates in state and local prisons. This costs taxpayers an estimated $18 billion each year. More than two thirds of the states are facing serious overcrowding problems, and many are operating at least 50 percent over capacity. Cost comparisons between private and government operation of prisons show frequent cost savings under private management. While the national average cost to hold a prisoner in a government run prison is $40 per inmate a day, many privately run prisons charge the governments on average lower fees. U.S. Corrections Corporation (USCC), a private company headquartered in Louisville charges Kentucky charges a daily fee of $25 per inmate. In their first year of operation in...
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...address criminal behavior have always influenced how and why society uses prisons. Prisons are intended to meet a variety of social goals, including incapacitation, deterrence, discipline, punishment or retribution, and rehabilitation or reformation. Some have argued that public prisons are better at all of the above while most support private prisons. The term prison privatization commonly refers to the policy of contracting out the management and operation of prisons and jails to private, for-profit companies. Prison privatization is a controversial issue, with ongoing debate over the ethics of delegating the punishment function of the criminal justice system to private actors, weather private prisons cost less to operate than public facilities, and if the quality of security and conditions of confinement differ between public and private prisons. In 2005, approximately 200 private correctional facilities operated in the United States, housing a total of 107,000 inmates. Four companies provide more than 90 percent of private prison capacity. About 6 percent of all state inmates and 14 percent of federal inmates are incarcerated in privatized facilities. The idea of privatizing prisons emerged in the 1980s as a policy remedy to the problem of growing incarceration rates, severe prison overcrowding, and constraints on increasing government funding of new prison space. Public investment in new prisons climbed eightfold from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, but was at or approaching...
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..."Pros And Cons Of Prison Privatization" Prisons are institutions that have specifically been designed to handle the members of the society who are under conviction of different crimes. The people who reside in the prisons are referred to as inmates or prisoners and the time they spend in the prisons depends on the imprisonment period. This period is dependent of the intensity of the crime committed. Once in the prisons, the inmates undergo rehabilitation, incapacitation, retribution and deterrence which are elements considered appropriate for the provision of justice to the society. In the past, it has been the responsibility of the government to manage these institutions on behalf of the society. The process of privatizing the prison industry has both negative and positive effects. Sloane, 1996). Privatization has been applied in prison departments in most countries across the globe, there are few countries who used it in the past. For example during the mid 18th century, the United States government entered into a treaty with a number of private investors to manage a number of its institutions and these investors went ahead to contract inmates to some of their private enterprises as a source of labor. Some of the institutions that were contracted included 'New York Auburn and Louisiana' penal colonies. However, this did not last for long based on the fact that there was rampant corruption that was carried out as well as vicious resistance from other...
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...Corrections Accreditation and Privatization Corrections Accreditation and Privatization Correctional facilities, today, operate on standards that would be unheard of in the past. The jails and prison of the past lacked a certain sense of humanity and an ability to show society that the prison was a place of reformation rather than condemnation. The standards for which correctional facilities follow come from the Commission on Accreditation in Corrects (CAC). The CAC developed the standards followed in today’s prisons. Accreditation officially began in 1978, jointly administered by the CAC and the American Correctional Association. What is corrections accreditation? The accreditation program offers public and private organizations performing correctional functions the opportunity to evaluate their operations against national standards, to remedy deficiencies, and to upgrade the quality of correctional programs and services (Foster, 2006). Benefits from the accreditation process are the following: improved management; defense against lawsuits through documentation and the demonstration of a “good faith” effort to improve conditions of confinement; increased accountability and enhanced public credibility for administrative and line staff; a safe and more humane environment for personnel and offenders; and establishment of measurable criteria for upgrading programs, personnel, and physical plant on a continuing basis (Foster, 2006). Professional development in the corrections...
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...Corrections Accreditation and Privatization Paper Serena Valenzuela CJS/230 December 16, 2012 Josephine Kerr Corrections Accreditation and Privatization Paper According to Foster (2006) accreditations allow a company to comply with national values. Correctional officers are certified to comply with accreditation. Leaders can always improve professionalization and accreditation. Privatization is a private owned prison usually by individuals or stock holders. State and federal prisons are slighted affected by privatization and hold contracts with state and federal prisons. “What professionalism is to individuals working in the field, accreditation is to organizations—a movement toward higher standards (Foster, pg 180,2006).” According to Foster (2006) corrections accreditation started in 1978. According to Foster (2006) being a part of accreditation is an ongoing process of evaluations for operations against the national standards, solve deficiencies, and improvement on programs and services. According to Foster (2006) accreditation is to measure a company’s compliance with countrywide accepted values. According to Foster (2006) the ACA provides a process that starts with an application leading to a complete audit and approval or denial. The accreditation is good for three years then another audit will be completed again to make sure the company is staying in compliance with the accreditation. According to Foster (2006) this system is a verification process to comply...
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...The concept of the prison has existed for more than two thousand years. It probably goes back as far in time as practice of cannibalism, where victims had to wait for their turn in contributing to the chief course in the menu of their captors. Examples of prisons can even be found in the Old Testament when Joseph was incarcerated in Egypt. It was not until the 19th century that a clear shift occurred from corporal punishment to imprisonment. As societies prospered and the industrial revolution began, the formal prison system, as we know it today, developed. Throughout most of the world, the correctional system is administered by the state, and it is considered a key function that the government must fulfill: protect its citizens by guaranteeing the state of law while enforcing the judicial system. More than two decades ago, the United Sates and Great Britain began experimenting with privatization of their prison systems, outsourcing the management to private enterprises. Like most privatization issues, this topic has many supporters from the liberal economic philosophy, as well as many detractors that argue against profit seeking enterprises. The discussion promotes themes such as the ethical dilemma of the private sector “administering punishment”, selecting the correct metrics used to evaluate the performance of private sector versus public sector, disputes of what are “just and fair” services that the inmates are entitled to, among others. In the following essay we aim to bring...
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...Corrections Accreditation and Privatization Hope Washington CJS/230 Introduction to Corrections June 2, 2013 John Feltgen An accreditation program has long been recognized as a means of maintaining the highest standards of professionalism. Accreditation is the certification by an independent reviewing authority that an entity has met specific requirements and prescribed standards. Schools, universities, and hospitals are some of the most well- known organizations that are required to maintain accreditation. Facilities that undertake the challenge of seeking accreditation reap many benefits, especially when they ultimately achieve accreditation. Staff training and development are mandated under the standards and usually far exceed training requirements in place in unaccredited facilities. Preparation for an accreditation audit requires a comprehensive internal review of institutional programs and services, followed by an objective assessment by the ACA auditing team. This process often reveals the need for improvement in some programs and services, while identifying those that work well. Medical services, food service, and "quality of life issues" such as the extent of institutional violence, the fairness disciplinary and grievance procedures, and overall quality of life for staff and offenders are key considerations. The process also helps to identify the need for operational improvements and provides clear criteria for measuring progress. Often, such intensive scrutiny of a...
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...The concept of the prison has existed for more than two thousand years. It probably goes back as far in time as practice of cannibalism, where victims had to wait for their turn in contributing to the chief course in the menu of their captors. Examples of prisons can even be found in the Old Testament when Joseph was incarcerated in Egypt. It was not until the 19th century that a clear shift occurred from corporal punishment to imprisonment. As societies prospered and the industrial revolution began, the formal prison system, as we know it today, developed. Throughout most of the world, the correctional system is administered by the state, and it is considered a key function that the government must fulfill: protect its citizens by guaranteeing the state of law while enforcing the judicial system. More than two decades ago, the United Sates and Great Britain began experimenting with privatization of their prison systems, outsourcing the management to private enterprises. Like most privatization issues, this topic has many supporters from the liberal economic philosophy, as well as many detractors that argue against profit seeking enterprises. The discussion promotes themes such as the ethical dilemma of the private sector “administering punishment”, selecting the correct metrics used to evaluate the performance of private sector versus public sector, disputes of what are “just and fair” services that the inmates are entitled to, among others. In the following essay we aim to bring...
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...The Current Status of Prison Privatization Research on American Prisons Gerald G. Gaes. Ph. D. Florida State University August 2010 Introduction In many ways, any discussion of prison privatization strikes at the heart of the fundamental goals and purposes of prison and punishment. The discussion elevates such themes as the role of the private sector in administering punishment, the importance of metrics to evaluate and compare how well the privately and publicly operated prisons provide services, the structure and form of oversight and accountability to insure punishment is just and fair, and the measurement of cost and efficiency. To be sure, many of these issues are crucial even in the absence of a privatization debate. However, because there are impassioned proponents and opponents on both sides of the issue, the prison privatization literature has provoked both earnest debate and fractious polemic. One might expect that the importance of this topic would have elevated prison privatization research and encouraged the funding of large scale studies. In fact, there are very few studies comparing privately and publicly operated facilities. Segal and Moore (2002) identified about 23 U.S. cost comparison studies and fewer quality studies. Many of those studies were of questionable value. The most recent review, a meta-analysis by Lundahl et. al. (2009) only identified 12 studies of cost and quality meeting their criteria for sound methodology. Even with...
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...Corrections Accreditation and Privatization Paper Corrections Accreditation and Privatization Paper Accreditation is a process in which is conducted to grant accredited status and to increase accountability for an employment organization. Corrections accreditation is standards to help keep prison procedures, policies, and operations in order. With such standards, corrections officers are better professionally developed. The American Correctional Association (ACA) has a department that specifically targets professional development. “The Professional Development Department consists of four sections: Grants, Contracts, and Cooperative Agreements, Conference Programming, Training and Technical Assistance, and Educational and Training Products” (READING: Chapter 8 in Corrections). Its goal is to change the attitude and mindset of corrections officers from just having a job, to being considered a professional. I believe that industry leaders can plan for a better correctional officer professionalization and accreditation by improving training. I can presume that many times correctional officers are not considered 'real' law enforcement because of the lack of training and also because the funds are not often supplied as readily as they are for and given to the other agencies of law enforcement. Privatization is a rational and contemporary unravelment to the issues of overcrowding and immense costs facing the U.S. prison system. A plethora of states are distinguishing this, arranging...
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...Privatization Trends in Government in the 1990's e University of Submitted to: Prof. Submitted by: D el 6 7 May PRIVATIZATION HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY ATTRACTIVE TO GOVERNMENTS AT ALL LEVELS BOTH IN THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD. PRIVATIZATION, HOWEVER, POSES A DIF~ERENT SET OF PROBLEMS FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATORS. THE GOAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR IS TO RUN HIS/HER AGENCY AS EFFICIENTLY AS ) .' ''I ,J• . 1 , POSSIBLE. BUT IN TIMES OF FISCAL CONSTRAINlj PRIVATIZATION IS SEEN AS A SOLUTION TO BUDGETARY PROBLEMS. AS WITH ALL ISSUES THERE ARE TWO SIDES. PROPONENTS OF PRIVATIZATION FEEL THAT THE PRIVATE SECTOR CAN DELIVER THE SAME SERVICES THAT GOVERNMENT CURRENTLY PROVIDES FOR LESS MONEY, BETTER QUALITY AND WITH MORE VERSATILITY. ON THE OTHER HAND, OPPONENTS FEEL THAT PRIVATIZATION REDUCES THE QUALITY OF SERVICES, LEADS TO THE DESTRUCTION OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNIONS AND CORRUPTION AND IN THE PROCESS WEAKENS GOVERNMENT J CONTROL OF THESE SERVICES THAT ARE CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL TO THE PUBLIC. THESE OPPONENTS FEEL THAT IF THE PRIVATE SECTOR COULD HAVE DONE THESE JOBS AT A REASONABLE COST IN THE FIRST PLACE GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO PROVIDE THEM AT ALL. PROPONENTS FEEL IT IS THE FACT THAT GOVERNMENT HAS GOTTEN SO BIG THAT THEY CAN NO LONGER PROVIDE THE SERVICE AT A RATE LOWER THAN THEIR PRIVATE COUNTERPARTS AND THAT HAS GIVEN BIRTH TO A VARIETY OF PRIVATE CONTRACTORS WILLING TO PROVIDE THESE SERVICES AT MORE COMPETITIVE PRICES. GOVERNMENT HAS...
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...Prison and Jails Anthony Youmans CJA/204 Lexie Williams May 22, 2013 Prisons and Jails The American Judicial System has multiple types of facilities to house those convicted. Those facilities are known as federal prisons, state prisons, privately run prisons, and county jails. The main argument that plagues society today is private prisons. In this paper, one will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of private prisons and will also explain the conflict between safeguarding a prisoner’s constitutionally projected rights and the state’s authority to abridge those rights to protect its own interests and citizens interests. The most controversial argument in our society today concerning prisons is that of private versus state. “A private prison is defined as a correctional institute operated by a private firm on behalf of a local or state government” (Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2009). One advantage for privatization of prisons is private companies offer correctional facility designs are efficient to operate and are based on cost-benefit considerations. Also private prisons can mobilize quickly and specialize in facility missions. Private prisons helps the government reduce its liability exposure by contracting with private correctional companies. A disadvantage of privatization of prisons is that some private operators may be inexperienced and this could cause a problem within the management of the prison. Also the procurement process of having a private prison is slow, inefficient...
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...Correctional System Budget Student’s Name Institution Introduction Different states in the United States are faced with the worst financial crisis in history. Declining revenues had led to forced cuts in almost all government functions among them being the correctional facilities which were considered off limits before this crisis began. The budgets of more than 26 state department of corrections have been significantly cut, and those that have not been cut are reducing their expenditure on non-core areas. The correctional departments faced with the budget cuts have all reduced operational costs as it is one of the easiest and quickest steps to take (Mears, 2010).Corrections departments all followed this path by reducing personnel costs, reducing beds and eliminating certain programs. The specific strategies that were adopted for such savings however differed. For example, Maine changed the way it provided medication to inmates and renegotiated its health contract with its healthcare provider. Even more controversial, some states reduced the amount of food given to inmates. An example is Georgia which reduced the meals given to inmates, but still provided the same calories. Other states including New York and Kansas stopped their planned technology upgrades and postponed their expenditure plans. However, the cost-cut measures that were employed by different states correction facilities included downsizing programs, closing facilities and reducing personnel costs. Downsizing...
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