The Benefits Of Private Prisons

It has been documented that private “for profit” correctional institutions have gained a substantial foothold in the prison landscape. In the 1980s, a qualitative shift in the relation between corrections and private businesses began due to the raise of private prison management. Private prisons-both state and federal-represent just a small slice of the eighty billion dollars spend yearly on corrections (Markowitz, 2016). In 1995, there were less than 30 adult confinement facilities operated by private organizations. Within half of a decade, this number increased to more than 100. In 2006, more than 7% of adult prisoners, state and federal, were being held in private correctional facilities (Makarios & Maahs, 2012). Prison privatization emerged …show more content…
Some studies find private prisons to be less cost-effective than government ones, some more, and further studies suggest that any savings are likely the results of cutting corners (Surowiecki, 2016). In a study of prisons in nine states, Chris Petrella, a lecturer at Bates College, found that private prisons avoid taking sick and elderly inmates, since health care is a huge expense for prisons. They also employ a younger, less trained, and less well paid workforce and have higher inmate-to-guard ratios. Their idea with this strategy is to save money, but this makes prisons more dangerous. Correlationally linked with the issue of cost efficiency is the question of quality. Imprisoning people is one of the heaviest things that the government does, yet outsourcing prisoners mean that their treatment is inadequate (Surowiecki, 2016). Disbelievers of privatization question the ability of the private companies to provide either better or comparable quality of service in a market that seeks to make the most profits with the least amount of costs (Makarios & Maahs, 2012). Others believe the private sectors innovation and efficiency will actually improve the quality of …show more content…
This argument is that it will lead to longer prison sentences and greater honesty in sentencing decisions. Correctional experts argue that, while abolishing parole may make good politics, it contributes to bad correctional practices and less public safety (Petersilia, 1999). If you abolish parole supervision and release, inmates do not get the proper services provided to them when they have the highest risk of recidivism and are in the most need of these services.
There are some challenges for the parole system and for the inmates released from prisons. The reentry of prisoners into the community is a very difficult process. The ex-con stigma makes getting employment challenging, and the period of absence makes it difficult to reestablish relationships (Stohr & Walsh, 2015). Providing parolees with concrete help such as job skills and drug rehabilitation programs can go a long way in helping them to remain crime-free. This effort may be even more impactful if it is make in some form of community-based residential