The Pros And Cons Of Privatization Of Prisons

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Historically our public buildings and prisons have been in a state of despair. I am not surprised to hear about the current dilemma we are faced with at this time. With the rising cost to maintain and repair the facilities and taxpayers not willing to pay more to house criminals, many states and correction facilities are looking at PPP or the privatization of Prisons to cure the never ending need for repairs, upgrades and expansions. A prime example is California’s prison crisis and the state’s ongoing budget crisis, which also demands immediate attention to reduce the unsustainable costs of existing operations. Private Public Partnerships (PPPs) offer an attractive option along with the idea of privatization of the workers and operations for many prison or correction facilities. The question is, what is best way to solve the maxed out, over budget system with …show more content…

Other ethical dilemmas in the partnerships can be the fact that the private company is issued bonds (that the public does not need to approve) and are paid the needed construction and operations funds up-front. The government also can sell existing buildings to raise funds. Therefore, It is to the advantage of the private company to keep the prison running and full long-term. The longer the contract the more money they make. This can possibly influence the decisions of inmates being paroled or transferred. The prisons become a money making, for-profit business and may not always be interested in meeting the goals of the justice system if it does not benefit them, which is the definition of a conflict of interest. These are all concerns to keep in mind when evaluating options for any prison or correctional facility in the State or County you

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