Private Prisons
By Yixin Shen and Patrick Shin
Private Prisons are…
• Prisons that are run
by third parties that
were contracted by
the government
Leaders of the Industry
• Correctional Corporation of
America
o Established in 1983 with
first contract in 1984
o Largest private prisons
contractor
• Other companies include...
o GEO. Group
o Cornell
State of Private Prisons
Oklahoma Department of Corrections
Prison Policy Initiative
History
• Private imprisonment had been
common in England
• Late 1800s - The Convict
lease
• Prisoners were leased out
to private companies as
part of the work force
• Poorly conditioned and
corrupted
• Significant racial element
– 1928 - Alabama is the last
state to outlaw convict lease
History
• The private sector began to approach that mainstream in
1979 when the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
(INS) began contracting with private firms to detain illegal
immigrants pending hearings or deportation
• Private prison business first emerged in 1984 when
the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) was
awarded to take over a facility in Hamilton County,
Tennessee
• By the time a national census of juvenile correctional
facilities in the United States was conducted in 1989, the
number of privately operated facilities had grown to 2,167,
compared to 1,100 public ones
Private Prisons are Beneficial
Economic Benefits
o They are operated
under market economy
so efficiency is valued
o Less costly to maintain
and saves taxpayers
money
Private Prisons are Beneficial
Private Prisons are Beneficial
• Prison quality
o Employees are much more accountable
compared to public prisons
o Records indicate many private prisons
outperformed public prisons
Cornell University: Restructuring Local Government
Private Prisons are Beneficial
• Other benefits and advantages
o Prevents overcrowding
o Will not necessarily replace public prisons
o Brings about economical benefits to the
community
Private Prisons are Beneficial
• The Arizona Department of Correction: Private prisons
outperformed state-run institutions
• Convicts rated Tennessee's Silverdale Detention Center,
which was taken over by private enterprise, with high regard
• A Bureau of Justice Assistance study found that private
prisons have slightly higher rates of assault on inmate and
staff, but substantially lower rates of riots and inmate death
• Elliott D. Pollack & Company in Arizona reports that "the
construction of a single 3,000-bed correctional facility would
generate over 2,500 new jobs paying more than $116 million
in salaries and wages that would result in more than $300
million in economic activity."
Private Prisons are Beneficial
• Reason Foundation
o
o
o
A non-profit think tank that promotes Libertarian values
Supportive of many private prisons
Writes articles and opinions pieces that support private
prisons
• ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council)
o
o
o
Conservative and private sector policy advocates
Creates model laws for legislators
Consist of legislators, governors, congressman, and
many private sectors. Includes CCA
Evidence
Against
Private
Private
Prisons
arePrisons
harmful
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Do not provide sufficient health care to prisoners
Can not control violence
Falsely releasing prisoners
Criminal activity within the prison
Sale of drugs within the prison
Does not pay its workers well
Training of guards do not meet the standard of a
government run prison
Private Prisons are harmful
• Incentive to cut costs and maximize profit
presents a threat to the safety of prisoners
• an illegitimate delegation of government
authority to allow private companies to take
control of an integral part of the justice system
• It is the proper duty of the public sector to
determine just sentences for violations of the
law
Private Prisons
Private should
Prisonsbe
areBanned
harmful
• To be profitable, private prison firms must be filled
90-95 percent to guarantee return needed to lure
investors
• Over-reliance by government on incarceration at the
expense of preventive social programs
• To increase profit margins, companies have cut
corners on drug rehabilitation, counseling and literacy
programs.
Private Prisons
not Beneficial
Private are
Prisons
are harmful
• Private Prisons Do Not Save Money
Interest Groups Against Private Prisons
• C.A.P.P. (Citizens Against Private Prisons)
• AFSCME (American Federal of State, County
and Municipal Employees)
Recent Developments
• Private Prisons Helped Draft Arizona
Immigration Law (November 2nd 2010)
• State Funded For Profit Juvenile Prison Sued
for Assault (October 18, 2010)
Bill
• Omnibus Appropriation Bill
–State Criminal Alien Assistance
Program
–Prison Rape
–Cable Television in Prisons
–Residential Substance Abuse
Work Cited
•
Segal, Geoffrey. "Private Prisons Better Suited to Address Problems." Reason Foundation. Reason Foundation, 10
Oct. 2003. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. http://reason.org/news/show/private-prisons-better-suited.
•
"New Study Proves Economic, Fiscal Benefits of Correctional Partnerships." CCA. CCA, Spring 2010. Web. 03
Nov. 2010. http://www.insidecca.com.
• Bourge, Christian. "Sparks Fly over Private vs Public Prisons." Prison Policy Initiative. 20 Feb. 2002. Web. 03
Nov. 2010. http://www.prisonpolicy.org/scans/sparksfly.shtml.
• "Percent of Prisoners Held in Private Prisons." Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Oklahoma Department of
Corrections, June 2006. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. <http://www.doc.state.ok.us>
• Nathan A. Benefield, "Private Prisons Increase Capacity, Save Money, Improve Services," Testimony to the
Pennsylvania House Labor Relations Committee, October 24, 2007.
• Sullivan, Laura. "Prison Economics Help Drive Ariz. Immigration Law : NPR." NPR. NPR, 28 Oct. 2010. Web.
04 Nov. 2010. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130833741>
• McFarland, Stephen, Chirs McGowan, and Tom O'Toole. "Prisons, Privatization, And Public Values."
Restructuring Local Government. Cornell University, Dec. 2002. Web. 04 Nov. 2010.
<http://government.cce.cornell.edu/doc/html/PrisonsPrivatization.htm>.
• Gainsborough, Jenni. "The Truth About Private Prisons." AlterNet. 15 Dec. 2003. Web. 04 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.alternet.org/story/17392>.
• "Private Prisons Do Not Save Money." AFSCME. AFSCME. Web. 4 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.afscme.org/publications/2550.cfm>.
• Silverstein, Ken. "America's Private Gulag." CorpWatch. CorpWatch, 1 June 2000. Web. 04 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=867>.
• Smith, Phil. "Private Prisons:Profits of Crime." MediaFilter. 1993. Web. 04 Nov. 2010.
<http://mediafilter.org/mff/prison.html>.
Khimm, Suzy. "Are Private Prisons worth the Cost?" Washington Post. Washington Post Company, 23 Aug. 2010.
Web. 04 Nov. 2010. <http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezraklein/2010/08/are_private_prisons_worth_the.html>.