Privatizing Prisons, Essay Example

The incarceration of humans, i.e. imprisonment, is an emotive subject in the USA.  This particularly where the bulk of the prison population is mostly of black and Hispanic origin.  There are estimated to be 2 million prisoners in state federal and private prisons.  The prison industry is one of the most rapid developing businesses in the last 10 years.  Increased use of privatization of prison services  has incentivized the industry by the creation of more jobs.  The multimillion dollar industry also supports such items as advertising, architecture, construction, security, food supply and countless other business operations.

Prison privatization, dramatically increased in the 1980s under the Reagan and Bush [Senior] administration.  It is estimated that there are around 18 major corporations serving around 10,000 inmates in 27 States.  The use of privatized contract firms is based upon improved efficiencies and cost reduction programs.  The government alone could no longer cope with the long expansion of crime and need for more jail facilities.

It is questionable as to whether there might be an improved approach considering that more than half of those imprisoned in municipal or county jails may be innocent of the crimes they have been detained for.  Further, two thirds of those committed in state prisons have committed nonviolent offenses.  Under this scenario it might be possible to look towards such concepts of a tagging program and community service as an improved approach to consider.  The rehabilitation of prisoners back into society, must be of major concern to the Federal government.  By training, nonviolent offenders to perform community service.  They are in a sense being rehabilitated back into society by performing a useful contribution and not being a burden by having to pay for their detention.

The Government needs privatized prisons to prevent over crowding in existing State run institutions and to keep the high costs down for building new penitentiaries.  Equally firms have quoted considerable cost savings ” For example, one company advertises 20 to 30% cost savings on new prison construction (The GEO Group, Inc., 2003). Additionally, “projects are completed in less time – one to one and a half years compared with three to five years for a comparable government project (TGG, 2003)[1]

[1] Past Privatization: Past and Present, Matthew Zito, Dec 8th 2003, International Foundation for Protection Officers