Privatization of Prisons
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The history of the privatization of prisons in the US, the UK and Australia o US
 In 2005, 6.7% of all prisoners were held in private facilities (Prison and Jail
Inmates at Midyear 2005)
 As Of 2009, that number increased to 8% in over 400 facilities which comes to a total of about 125,000 inmates (To be of Not to be Committed)
 The main push for private prisons in the US came from business entrepreneurs looking to make a profit (Public Imprisonment by Private Means) o UK
 Controlled by a single national government that can hold the private prisons up to one ultimate set of standards (Public Imprisonment by Private Means) o Australia
 Was mainly to create a competitive market for prisons which would speed up reform of the prison system (Public Imprisonment by Private Means)
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Private prisons are a detriment to the corrections system o There is not enough guard training and education
 Majority of private prison staff had no college degree whereas many public prisons require some time of college degree even for the guards (The Impact of
Role Stressors among Private Prison Staff) o Employees are likely to leave due to low levels of satisfaction
 Private prisons have a much higher turnover rate than public prisons: they generally have lower pay and fewer benefits” (The Impact of Role Stressors among Private Prison Staff) o The guards lack of training trickles down and increases inmate violence o Inmates are more likely to return
 29.8% recidivism in public prisons compared to 32.8% in private prisons. Men were 5% more likely to return if they spent most of their sentence in private facilities (Inmate Recidivism as a Measure of Private Prison Performance)
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The ethics of the government handing the punishment of inmates to a corporation is in question o Does the government have this power?
 “the most legal-philosophical positions dictates that policy makers should not have the authority to grant private agencies the power to punish” (Public Versus
Private Prisons)
 Prison policies differ from other policies because they deliver punishment, the target population is different from the average population (Public-Private
Partnerships in the US Prison System) o Is it constitutional? o Private prisons often use inmate labor to make profits
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Private prisons offer our correctional system a better quality prison o They save money
 Studies show that private prisons are either cheaper or of equal cost (Public
Versus Private Prisons) o There’s a competitive market for them

o Reduces overcrowding
 Public prisons are filled to 20% over capacity (Comparing the Quality of
Confinement and Cost-Effectiveness of Public Versus Private Prisons)
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The “pros” of private prisons are actually untrue o Private prisons only save money short term and only by cutting important costs o Only a few corporations are in charge of majority of the private prisons o Private prisons push for policies that ultimately increase the number of inmates
 Private prisons corporations are involved in lobbying for mandatory and longer sentences (Public-Private Partnerships in the US Prison System)