Private Prisons
Rainmaker
Laganelli
Issues
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Cutting cost
Untrained guards
Transparency effect
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Overcrowding
Health
Background
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Debate: whether private-sector involvement
in corrections should be increased
proponants: potential cost savings and
efficient service
Opponents: issues as the transfer of services
from a public to private provider, the potential
decline in the quality of inmate services, the
propriety of private-sector operation of
correctional facilities, and the legal liability
surrounding privatization.
History
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Before the use of prisons in America,
criminals were subject to
corporal/capital punishment
Starting in the 1600’s, prisons were
being used to house people who
couldn’t pay debt and other criminals
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All types of people, Men/women,
young/old, black/white were all placed in
the same overcrowded prisons
History
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During the 19th century, debate raged
between proponents of two different
philosophies of prison administration
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One model, based on New York State's Auburn
State Prison, founded in 1817, enforced strict
discipline, forcing workers to toil in silence during
the day and housing them in separate cells at
night
They were often forced to work for private
businessmen without pay, creating significant
profits for both the businesses and the state
History
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In contrast to that model, a system initiated
in 1829 in PA emphazied rehabilitation and
penitence (where penitentiary came from)
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Prisoners were given one cell and a bible, and
were expected to understand and realize what
they did wrong so they could be released
Supporters of the Pennsylvania system described
the Auburn system as virtual slavery, while its
defenders praised its profit-making potential
Critics of the Pennsylvania system claimed that its
enforced solitude often led to madness.
Proponent Arguments
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Government can reduce or share its
liability exposure by contracting with
private corrections companies.
save money
Opponent Arguments
CCA
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Support Private Prisons
ACLU
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Against Private Prisons
Statistics
Statistics
Recent Developments
Political Parties