Convicts Incorporated?
Study shows that private prisons are an effective alternative to public facilities
Contact:
Steve Easton, Senior Fellow
The Fraser Institute, (604) 688-0221, ext. 561 Email: stevee@fraserinstitute.caRelease Date: 9 February 1998
VANCOUVER, BC>>> Lower costs, better safety for prisoners and staff, and more facilities within the prison are just some the potential gains that derive from the privatization of correctional services, according to a book released today by the Fraser Institute.
Privatizing Correctional Services is a ground-breaking study that considers both sides in the privatizing debate. And the results are compelling: private prisons exceed standards of conduct expected in publicly-run prisons; private prisons operate between seven and 30 percent less expensively than public prisons; private prisons have fewer problems with inmate populations; and private prisons invest more time in prisoner rehabilitation and education.
Prison populations around the world have increased substantially during the past few decades, and with them the cost of incarceration. Although the private sector has always been involved with prisons, only recently have private entrepreneurs begun to plan, staff, and operate prisons, notably in Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. and the U.S.
"The development of private facilities has meant that age-old falsehoods about privatization have been disproved," says Steve Easton, professor of economics at Simon Fraser University and editor of the book. Easton adds that both high- and low-security institutions have been managed privately, and there is little evidence that private firms are unable to control the prison population under their management.
But will private prisons save money by lowering the quality of institutionalization? International evidence suggests that private prisons provide at least as good a service as public prisons: they have fewer escapes, fewer disturbances, and both staff and prisoners appear to rate the services more highly than services in public facilities.
The privatization of correctional services is not without its flaws, but governments would be unwise to disregard the international lessons learned to date, and how the obvious benefits of privatization -- lower costs and better safety for prisoners -- validate the privatization option.
Established in 1974, The Fraser Institute is an independent public policy organization based in Vancouver.
For further information:
Suzanne Walters, Director of Communications,
The Fraser Institute, (604) 714-4582,
Email suzannew@fraserinstitute.ca
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