NCJ Number
164905
Journal
Journal of Correctional Education Volume: 47 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1996) Pages: 86-93
Date Published
1996
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This paper details the scope of the public/private prison dilemma in Australia and then proposes an agenda for change that offers long-term cost reduction, financially and socially.
Abstract
The author begins with an overview of the public/private prison dilemma in Australia and gives particular attention to developments in those States where contract management and/or ownership has already been introduced. The author's argument is that most of the issues raised in opposition to privatization could also be raised against public prisons, and that continuation of the imprisonment option requires that quality assurance measures be introduced across the board to public as well as private prisons. Some concerns are raised about the ethics of delegating the State's responsibility to implement the sentence of the court. The author proposes that an independent panel provide a regular audit of all aspects of prison management in all prisons. In order for the panel to complete this task, the State must clearly enunciate its correctional aims and evaluate the outcomes. Arguing for adoption of a rehabilitation model, the paper outlines some requirements for rehabilitation to be implemented more conscientiously in Australia than has been the case in the past.