NCJ Number
131348
Date Published
1990
Length
34 pages
Annotation
The history of the privatization of corrections in the United States is examined in terms of the historical trends leading toward privatization in corrections, privatization as an option to manage corrections, arguments for and against privatization, and the future of privatization.
Abstract
Private sector involvement in corrections dates back several centuries. Recent factors promoting privatization include reduced Federal assistance, declining local resources, little public tolerance for similar cutbacks in public services, concern about costs and efficiency, and rapid increases in prison populations. The Federal government has led much of the current movement toward privatization, with the President's 1988 Task Force on Privatization promoting this movement. Debates about privatization have focused on ten issues: propriety, cost, quality, quantity, flexibility, security, liability, accountability, corruption, and dependence. Proponents emphasize the potential efficiency and flexibility of privatization, while opponents are concerned about accountability, quality reductions, and the principles involved. Despite the continuing debate, privatization is likely to increase. Chart, footnotes, summary of Logan's arguments for and against privatization, and 22 references