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Should Prisons Be Privatized Paper

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Criminal Justice Management Theory And Practice (CJA 454)

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University of Phoenix

Academic year: 2019/2020

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Virginia Cottrell

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Should Prisons Be Privatized Paper

CJA/ William Markopoulos April 15, 2019

In the United States there are two different main types of prison systems. They are private and public. Both vary in the way they are funded as well as the way they are ran as well as any rehabilitation efforts they may offer. They also vary in the different types of inmates that are housed and the different levels of securities needed. This paper will go over in detail the differences between the two. It will also house my opinion on whether or not I agree with privatization of prisons. The following will be gone over as well: The operations of correctional organizations, correctional personnel roles and functions, and correctional issues and practices. In my opinion, prisons should not be privatized, as the public should be able to gather information that they can from public prisons, not for the sole purpose that they pay tax money, but for public safety if an inmate was released from custody. I do however believe that no prisoner should have the freedom to belong to a private prison. I believe that all prisons should be uniform, except for the levels of securities. The levels of securities help keep the inmates safe and ensure that they are not harming others who are not as powerful as them. [ CITATION Rob172 \l 1033 ]

Prisons that are privately run are known to not report data such as the population of inmates, staffing, or where the moneys allocated to budgeting was spent. Local, state, or federal governments own and operate public prisons. In other words, the government has the authority to choose the location in which an inmate is sent to. In turn, this means that the government has the deciding factor on whether an inmate can be released early. The inmates at these locations are subject to federal guidelines, and the funds come directly from the government. There is particular information about the prison is to made public due to the funding of tax dollars so that the public can be aware

managers. I, however, do not believe it to be as clear cut as that. Along with the possibility of cutting costs through hiring less personnel and less training, we also lose the transparency of public prisons. The quality of care is a main concern when it comes to saving money in the privatization. Poor behavior and service would can be prevented with the observation when the contractor is held accountable. When it comes to studies over inmate confinement, they are less common than those of costs. There is not much experience when it comes to getting information from privately owned prisons, which is why it is harder to know which is better in the long run. When it comes to healthcare, some of the problems included were: Information such as medical records, tuberculosis testing documentation, sick logs, and follow-ups were poorly documented. Getting physicians in to cover was limited. Some problems such as respiratory isolation rooms and x-ray equipment did not get addressed in a timely manner. Quality improvement activities had not been completed. Contract modifications communications were horrible, and some issues were unsolved.[ CITATION Ash \l 1033 ]

Over 40% of New Mexicos inmates are incarcerated in public prisons. However, there are 23 states who do not use private prisons. The use of private prisons obviously variates depending on the state and circumstances. Texas was the first state to incorporate for profit prisons or private prisons. Of all of the states that have private prisons, 19 of them house over 500 people. It is unknown if private prisons cost less, but there are more and more people being incarcerated through these prisons. In 2016 8 percent of the total prison population in the United States were in private prisons. This total is on a rise considering in this amount has increased by 47% since 2000. [ CITATION Pri18 \l 1033 ]

In conclusion there are two main prison systems in the United States. They are public prisons and private prisons. The main difference in the two are the costs associated with each. Of course, there are issues with both, however, in my opinion the one with the most are the private prisons. They try to cut costs as much as possible and end up being short staffed and the quality of care is poor. Public prisons are overcrowded, but if enough time was give, all types of prisons would eventually become overcrowded. The number one most important factor in prisons is personnel safety.

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