NCJ Number
241622
Date Published
December 2011
Length
141 pages
Annotation
This biennial report from the Arizona Department of Corrections compared the operations of private prison facilities to those of public prison facilities.
Abstract
This biennial report from the Arizona Department of Corrections compared the operations of six private prison facilities in the State to those of six public State prison facilities, as required under State statute. Major findings from the report include the following: four of the six private facilities provided a quality of service comparable to that provided by the State-run facilities at a unit of cost within the range of per diem costs for the same inmate custody level; one of the six private facilities provided a quality of service below that provided by the comparable State-run facility at a cost within the range of per diem costs for the same inmate custody level; and one private facility provided a quality of service at the same level as the comparable State-run facility, however unit costs could not be compared because the private facility did not open until April 2010. The primary purpose for this comparison was to determine whether the contactor operating the private prison facilities was providing the same level and quality of service as public facilities, and at a comparable or lower cost. The service data used in this report were for fiscal years 2010 and 2011, and for calendar year 2011, while the cost data used in the report was for fiscal year 2010. The facilities' operations and costs were compared for the nine service areas that prisons are required to provide under State statute. These nine service areas cover Security, Inmate Management and Control, Inmate Programs and Services, Facility Safety and Sanitation, Administration, Food Service, Personnel Practices and Training, Inmate Health Services, and Inmate Discipline. Limitations of the biennial report are discussed. Figures, tables, and appendixes