FBOC Prison Case Study

In the United States, the federal corrections system is overseen by the Federal Bureau of Corrections (FBOC). The FBOC in charge of managing the country’s prison system and ensuring the system properly implements the laws and regulations that are in place for the successful incarceration of criminals. A significant part of its operations is focused on finding better ways to manage the system, cut costs, and limit risks. In many ways, it functions much like a national corporation. In the last several decades, the FBOC has tried several different methods for reducing costs and liabilities. One of the most significant efforts that the prison system made is to become privatizes institutions. The FBOC allowed private prison companies to assume the management responsibilities of prisons around the country. This was done in response to changes in legislation and a growing need to reduce costs. The cost of a single prison is substantial. In most cases, the overall funding and costs can be measured in terms of the cost to house a single prisoner. Since the United States has the highest incarceration rate around the world, “743 per 100,” the cost of maintaining prisons is excessively high (“The Price of Prisons”, 2012). Privatization is intended to help manage these costs by allowing an outside company to manage the prisons. Theoretically, these …show more content…
Changes in legislation in recent decades made it possible for prisoners to file civil lawsuits against correctional facilities and personnel. The potential costs of handling these civil suits are enough to cause significant damage to the correctional system as a whole. This presents a major risk for the correctional system, as handling civil suits could absorb the funding for the correctional system. Without adequate funding, the system would begin to break down and would be forced to release a large segment of its population without appropriate