NCJ Number
178872
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 45 Issue: 3 Dated: July 1999 Pages: 358-371
Date Published
July 1999
Length
14 pages
Annotation
The relative cost-effectiveness of private and public prisons was studied by means of a meta-analysis of 33 cost-effectiveness evaluations in 24 independent studies of private and public prisons.
Abstract
The sample was generated by a literature search through the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS), Article-first, and Worldcat. Each selected study reported a measure of inmate cost per day or had enough information that such a measure could be calculated. In addition, each selected study included information on characteristics that could be used as statistical controls. The data were analyzed through correlation analysis and ordinary least-squares regression analysis. Results revealed that private prisons were no more cost-effective than public prisons and that other institutional characteristics were the strongest predictors of a prison's daily cost per inmate. These other characteristics included the facility's economy of scale, age, and security level. Findings provide policymakers with a more realistic and cautious estimate of the relative efficiency of private prisons and may encourage researchers to evaluate more rigorously the cost-effectiveness of other forms of correctional privatization. Tables, notes, and 66 references (Author abstract modified)