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Evaluation of Prison Privatization Privatizat

Privatization is increasingly at the forefront of every discussion in American life that deals with the cost efficiency of government. At the state, county, and even local levels, the privatization of prison facilities has become a major area for outsourcing opportunity. The privatization of prisons is touted by its supporters as reducing the cost of incarceration to governments. It is also criticized by its opponents as potentially reducing government control over prison system inmates and processes while potentially ushering in an opportunity for the abuse of prisonersÆ rights at the hands of private sector, for-profit business entities (Metzgar, 1999). It is the purpose of this report to evaluate issues relevant to and trends in prison privatization, highlighting the pros and cons of this strategy and identifying both the advantages and disadvantages that impact upon the process.

Judd Metzgar (1999) reported that the major reasons advanced for privatizing prisons at the county level of government are anticipated cost savings, improved quality of services, a reduction in government bureaucracies, and improvements in accountability and transparency of operations. In Pennsylvania, where several counties including Delaware County have turned to privatization to realize economies of both scale and cope, State law had to be amended by the legislature to permit this form of outsourcing. Despite a firm foundation in law, Delaware County is identified by Metzgar (1999) as having experienced difficulties in the contracting and bidding processes, with requirements that minority businesses be given preferential treatment in such processes and a lack of such businesses at the local level. What this suggests is not that privatization does not work or that it is not an efficient way of reducing costs, but that external factors (such as required set-asides and preferential, affirmative action mandates for government contracts) may interv...

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Evaluation of Prison Privatization Privatizat. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 08:02, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1700457.html