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| 18117. PRIVATE-SECTOR PRISONS. This paper describes a research project for evaluating the comparative merits of private-sector prisons and public-sector prisons. The trend to privatize prisons is controversial, with critics charging that private prisons do not cut costs and do not reduce recidivism rates and, furthermore, they encourage misbehavior among prisoners and guards. The paper reviews the literature on the topic and proposes a method for evaluating the evidence on cost-effectiveness, accountability, safety, and recidivism. Although the evidence on private prisons is inconclusive at this time, it is argued that they might nonetheless provide a viable way of dealing with the problems of high costs and a growing inmate population. One suggestion for improving the performance of private prisons is to include accountability requirements in the contracts made between corrections organizations and the government. KEYWORDS: criminal justice corrections private prisons research design. Written 2006. APA Style. 11 pages, 30 footnotes, 12 bibliographic sources. 2,712 words. |
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