Private Contract Management of Corrections in Victoria: Some Pressing Issues That Will Challenge Policy Makers (From Private Prisons and Police: Recent Australian Trends, P 27- 36, 1994, Paul Moyle, ed. - See NCJ-160698)

• NCJ Number: 160698
• Author(s): P Moyle
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 10 pages
• Sale Source: Pluto Press Austrialia Limited
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: Australia
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

This analysis of policy issues related to the private contract management of prisons in Victoria, Australia emphasizes the need for the government to identify the improvements it seeks through privatization in corrections and to learn from the positive and negative consequences of the implementation of privatization at two Queensland correctional institutions.

Abstract

The Queensland Corrective Services Commission (QCSC) has tried to force correctional guards to change their work practices, but has been vague about the types of changes required. It has added privatization in the context of staff reductions, elimination of overtime, and disciplining of institutions that do not meet expenditure guidelines. However, a confrontational approach is often counterproductive. In addition, a gap exists between reality and the QCSC perception of the effectiveness of its monitoring. To avoid these problems, Victoria's government should link criteria and outcomes to contract payments. It should use multifaceted monitoring techniques that identify and measure specific outcomes rather than relying on vague claims of the inherent superiority of private sector performance. It should also conduct proper preliminary research in the planning phase. Through these and other measures, the Victoria government should acknowledge and address all the complexities of privatization in corrections. Footnotes