What are the benefits of privatizing prisons? What are the potential drawbacks?
What will be an ideal response?
o Benefits
• Labor costs
? Wages of public employees are nearly two-thirds of a prison's operating expenses.
? Nonunionized staff receive lower levels of overtime pay, workers' compensation
claims, sick leave, and health-care insurance.
• Competitive bidding
? Private corrections firms have an incentive to buy goods and services at the lowest possible price.
• Less red tape
? Private corrections firms are not part of the government bureaucracy and therefore do not have to contend with the massive amount of paperwork that can clog government organizations.
o Drawbacks
• Safety Concerns
? Anecdotal evidence and some studies show higher rates of violence at private prisons.
• Philosophical concerns
? Only the government should have the authority to punish.
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