NCJ Number
113791
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 50 Issue: 6 Dated: (October 1988) Pages: 16-18,133
Date Published
1988
Length
4 pages
Annotation
In response to prison overcrowding in a period of rising costs and shrinking resources, decisionmakers and corrections officials are looking toward privatization as a possible solution.
Abstract
Privatization involves the delivery of correctional services by a private, for-profit or not-for-profit entity. It provides an extensive array of services to inmate populations, as well as a variety of arrangements between governmental agencies and the private sector. There are four major ways in which the private sector has become increasingly involved in what traditionally has been a public-sector responsibility. These include privatization of prison industries, private financing of prison construction, total private-sector operation of facilities, and provision of contract services (e.g., medical, food, treatment of special populations). While privatization usually is driven by cost savings, correctional managers should comprehensively assess how privatization can help. The administrator should consider statutory authority, current costs, budgetary outlook, population trends, existing and expected performance, contract default and other legal issues, and the availability of reputable vendors suited to needs and conditions. In the Prince George's County Correctional Center in Maryland, independent providers supply medical services, while some food preparation services have been contracted and others are retained inhouse. Other contracted services include an employee assistance program, inmate rehabilitation services and transportation, vocational training and employment, and maintenance and cleaning.