Case Studies

A recent study that compares private and public prisons in Mississippi found that career training programs are more available in private prisons, as can be seen in the graph below. As these programs are aimed at improving a previously incarcerated prisoner’s chances of success, they can be used to measure how effectively a prison addresses the factors that contribute to recidivism. Therefore, it may seem that private prisons are more effective in reducing the risk of recidivism. However, the actual efficacy of these programs is contestable, as prisoners do not often take advantage of these resources. For example, frequent shutdowns due to understaffing and inmate violence in the recently-closed Walnut Grove facility meant that inmates could not participate in programs.

“When corporations and cities try to save money by outsourcing public services to private companies, the result is often poorly-trained and poorly compensated employees. And the services that are offered suffer as a result.”

Privatized prisons say that they save taxpayers money but, in reality, they often don’t. Between 1996 and 2007, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the University of Cincinnati, The U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance and the University of Utah all conducted major reviews of private prison costs, examining data from dozens of studies. Each time, researchers reached the conclusion that private prisons failed to deliver on promised savings.

Private prisons depress local economies, and can devastate communities when they close. At private prisons, employees earn low wages that contribute to high turnover and limit their ability to contribute to the local economy, while profits are sent out of the community to executives and shareholders. Often, financing is structured in a manner that leaves communities stuck paying off the debt if the private companies decide to pull out.

Inside the prisons, violence is frequent. Prisoners often make a "variety of homemade objects" that are then used in attacks. Fires break out as inmates seek to get the attention of prison guards and in the face of any adversity, many prison guards actually run away. Even though these companies market "clean," "safe," and "fair" places, the accounts found in this case study say quite the opposite.

Profit-driven private prison companies corrupt policy making, foster injustice, and incentivize corruption. As previously stated, private prison companies have spent millions on lobbying and campaign contributions to secure contracts and manipulate public policy. The profit motive also incentivizes corruption, exposing the most vulnerable to abusive sentencing.