NCJ Number
113922
Journal
International Journal of Sociology and Economics Volume: 13 Issue: 1 Dated: (1986) Pages: 77-92
Date Published
1986
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article proposes the privatization of British prisons under a franchise system whereby a government authority will issue competitive franchises to private companies for prison management.
Abstract
The government authority would judge between competing franchising applications according to certain criteria. The length of the franchises would be fixed and open to new competition at the end of each period. The government authority's ultimate sanction would be the nonrenewal or premature withdrawal of an operator's franchise. The objective of the prison contractors, as franchised by government, would be to minimize the probability that offenders will reoffend during the specified period. There would be a tradeoff between the provision of secure prisons and the stream of costs to which they give rise, as against the societal benefits of secure incarceration. The prison contractor might also enter into a contract with an offender, such that reoffending would be a contract violation making the offender subject to civil damages. Such a system holds the potential for increasing prison efficiency and also the effectiveness of incarceration in reducing recidivism. 31 references.