Prisons, Privatization, And Public Values *
Stephen McFarland
Chris McGowan
Tom O'Toole
Presented to Prof. Mildred Warner
Privatization and Devolution CRP 612
December 2002
Introduction to Prison Privatization
Quote:
The movement towards the privatization of corrections in the
United States is a result of the convergence of two factors:
the unprecedented growth of the US prison population since 1970
and the emergence out of the Reagan era of a political environment
favorable to free-market solutions.
Since the first private prison facility was opened in 1984, the industry has grown rapidly;
gross revenues exceeded $1 billion in 1997. This paper will examine the industry's growth
in the US in recent decades, and its current scope. The evidence for and against
claims that private prisons can realize gains in efficiency will be weighed,
and implications of privatization for other public values including safety, justice, and legitimacy will be examined.
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A note in passing: The GEO Corporation used to be named the "Wackenhut Corrections Corporation"
Sounds a bit like McCain's "Wack-A-Mole" theory of war.
