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The Pros And Cons Of Private Prisons

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Private prisons were a $4.8 billion industry in 2014, with profits of $629 million; according to a market research firm IBISWorld (2015). Private prisons in the United States are trying to solve the issue of saving money and prevent overcrowding. In a 1999 survey of private prisons, administrators compared statistics from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Some key findings conclude that private prisons had issues with staff turnover, escapes and drug use (Camp & Gaes). Through research, there have been numerous differences discovered between privately and publically managed prisons. A private prison is a facility that is owned and operated by a third party and is contracted by the local, state, or federal government. While the prisoner is in custody, the government will pay a monthly rate per prisoner housed at each facility (Lundahl, B. W.).

Private prisons are operated under there own guidelines and regulations so they have the option to accept or decline any type of offender. Typically, privately ran facilities do not usually accept offenders who are too costly to hold. These would include certain medical conditions, mental health issues, and dietary requirements that all increase the cost of housing a offender. Research shows that private prisons typically house less violent and serious offenders than public prisons as this would increase the amount of security needed.

By using a theoretical and empirical research approach, researchers searched if there is a higher

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