Privatization of Prisons

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Module 10 Written Assignment - Revise the Compare and Contrast Essay Jeffrey W. Davis Rasmussen College This is a written assignment submitted by, Jeffrey Davis, for his G124/ENC1101 Section 13 English Composition – summer 2012. The correctional facilities in the US have undergone various transformations over the years. This is due to a mix of internal and external factors that have necessitated the changes (Justice Policy Institute, 2012). For example, the rising number of inmates has raised concerns over the size and capacity of correctional facilities. However, these changes need to be critically scrutinized before being fully adopted. Although some may have positive impacts, the negative impacts may be not easy to recognize. In such cases, the price to pay in the long run may be far much than anticipated on the other hand, some changes are very effective and should thus be adopted. One of the major changes that have occurred in the correctional facilities is the increased privatization of state prisons. The increased privatization has both positive and negative impacts. For the positive impacts, privatization of state prisons has reduced the demand for more state prisons. This implies that the cost of managing and constructing the prisons has been substantially reduced. The state can therefore divert the funds that would have been used in managing the prisons to other more beneficial programs. Privately run prisons are managed by private entities in conjunction with the government. The state contracts the private entities to manage these facilities at a fee (Justice Policy Institute, 2011). Additionally, private prisons are very helpful in the current scenario where prison populations are increasing considerably. The capacities of existing prisons are thus
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