NCJ Number
100161
Journal
State Legislatures Dated: (April 1984)
Date Published
1984
Length
6 pages
Annotation
In the face of a growing prison population and overcrowding, many States are turning to the use of private, for-profit correctional institutions.
Abstract
A number of States already have been using contract prison services, and many private companies have supplied the most progressive community programs, such as halfway houses and work programs. Companies such as RCA and Control Data now run both adult and juvenile prison facilities in such States as Pennsylvania and Florida. Texas and New Mexico recently have passed legislation permitting private incarceration. Advocates of privatization contend that private enterprise will be able to run correctional facilities more cheaply and efficiently and complete construction of new facilities more quickly than can government agencies. Some skeptics foresee possible conflicts of interest and abuses of power in for-profit incarceration; the issue of monitoring private prisons and ensuring humane treatment of inmates will have to be addressed. Most private institutions are too new to assess whether they are managed better or worse than government facilities. However, to be rehired, companies must perform well.