What Is Prison Privatization

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Prisons go through a lot of hoops to receive funding and keep the facility running smoothly. There are standards that should be followed and much has changed as corrections have evolved over the years. This includes how facilities are run, the guidelines followed, and how prisons even come to exist. For more than 125 years, the American Correctional Association has championed the cause of corrections and correctional effectiveness ("American Correctional Association", n.d.). Founded in 1870 as the National Prison Association, ACA is the oldest association developed specifically for practitioners in the correctional profession ("American Correctional Association", n.d.). The types of programs that ACA accredits thus are fairly specific…show more content…
Prison Privatization is a broadly defined term for the privatization of prisons and prison-related services. In some cases, this may include transferring control of existing public sector prisons to private companies. However, more commonly private companies are contracted to design, build, and operate new prisons and jails by federal, state, and local governments (Zito, 2003). In still other instances, private companies may be contracted to provide things such as medical care, counseling, food services, and maintenance within publicly run prisons and jails (Zito,…show more content…
Most private prison contracts provide for an on-site public sector monitor who has complete and unrestricted access, at all times, to all facility employees, offenders, records, and information (Zito, 2003). The greatest single concern with prison privatization is that private prison companies save money by hiring non-union employees, who are willing to work for less pay (Zito, 2003).. These are significant savings since labor accounts for about two thirds of the cost of operating an average prison. However, the result is that security staffs at private prisons have less experience and higher turnover rates than those at public prisons (Zito, 2003). There are many things that make a prison run smoothly and soundly. These include following a high level of standards and employing quality people. There are many pros and cons to private facilities, but private institutions still need to follow the standards of public facilities as well. Through trial and error and as the penal system evolves for the needs of society and inmates, the private prison will probably prevail in time, bringing a new level of prisons as a

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