NCJ Number
129552
Date Published
1987
Length
65 pages
Annotation
This manual presents the format and content for a slide presentation on trends and prospects in privatization in law enforcement, courts, and corrections.
Abstract
A discussion of new transfers of public police functions to private police focuses on specialized security functions, cooperative training programs, legislatively mandated granting of public police powers to private police (campus police, retail security personnel), and government contracts with private police for certain security services. Other topics addressed in relation to law-enforcement privatization are the size of the private security industry, services that have been contractually transferred to private security services, and the obstacles and advantages to contracting for police services. The discussion of the privatization of court functions identifies the problems that have led to the privatization of some court functions and then describes some of the privatization responses to these problems. They include the development of private dispute-resolution services, the use of court-appointed private special prosecutors, the use of contracts instead of individual appointments for indigent defense services, and a variety of private probation services. The review of privatization in corrections also identifies problems that have led to privatization and the responses. The responses include private financing of prison and jail construction, the management and operation of corrections facilities by private contractors, and private work programs in prison settings. Future prospects in privatization in criminal justice are considered.