Justice department to stop using private prisons

[Thebobo]

This was a surprise. Hopefully state correction departments will do the same. No contractor who's sole business to make money should be dishing out punishment that goes for the military and police departments as well.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/justice-department-says-it-will-stop-using-private-prisons-1471538386

 

[yllus]

A huge step forward for prison reform in the U.S. Some things are simply not meant to be done by the private sector.

 

[PokerGuy]

I'm generally uneasy with the idea of a private profit-driven corporation running prisons, even if it's ultimately cheaper for the taxpayer. There would seem to be too many potential perils. However, playing devils advocate here, is there actual evidence that the private prisons are any worse than the government run ones (in terms of abuse, safety, violence etc etc)?

 

[MomentsofSanity]

I'm generally uneasy with the idea of a private profit-driven corporation running prisons, even if it's ultimately cheaper for the taxpayer. There would seem to be too many potential perils. However, playing devils advocate here, is there actual evidence that the private prisons are any worse than the government run ones (in terms of abuse, safety, violence etc etc)?

There are certainly ample examples of abuses by judges etc... When it comes to kickbacks from these prisons. Kids for Cash scandal for example.

 

[ivwshane]

About freaking time!

 

[PokerGuy]

There are certainly ample examples of abuses by judges etc... When it comes to kickbacks from these prisons. Kids for Cash scandal for example.

Yes, I know about at least one of those cases and I'm sure there are more. That's one of the potential perils I mentioned in my earlier post. When there are people making big bucks at stake, there's more potential for such things. However, I was referring more to the prisons themselves. Is there evidence that they are more dangerous, abusive, violent etc or otherwise inferior in some way to government run ones?

 

[yllus]

I'm generally uneasy with the idea of a private profit-driven corporation running prisons, even if it's ultimately cheaper for the taxpayer. There would seem to be too many potential perils. However, playing devils advocate here, is there actual evidence that the private prisons are any worse than the government run ones (in terms of abuse, safety, violence etc etc)?

That's a fair point. I know of anecdotal evidence but not statistical. I think in general I don't like the primary incentive in running a prison to be profit so I'm more morally opposed to this than intellectually.

The anecdotal evidence is pretty horrific, though.

 

[1prophet]

Yes, I know about at least one of those cases and I'm sure there are more. That's one of the potential perils I mentioned in my earlier post. When there are people making big bucks at stake, there's more potential for such things. However, I was referring more to the prisons themselves. Is there evidence that they are more dangerous, abusive, violent etc or otherwise inferior in some way to government run ones?

What kind of employee/guards you think you are going to get for $9 an hour and that is just one of many issues?

When I call Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana, the HR lady who answers is chipper and has a smoky Southern voice. "I should tell you upfront that the job only pays $9 an hour, but the prison is in the middle of a national forest. Do you like to hunt and fish?"

 

[zinfamous]

To be fair, you were beaten by 8 minutes.

https://forums.anandtech.com/thread...s-it-will-end-use-of-private-prisons.2483478/

 

[zinfamous]

Yes, I know about at least one of those cases and I'm sure there are more. That's one of the potential perils I mentioned in my earlier post. When there are people making big bucks at stake, there's more potential for such things. However, I was referring more to the prisons themselves. Is there evidence that they are more dangerous, abusive, violent etc or otherwise inferior in some way to government run ones?

I would be surprised if that kind of data is actually available, and I would think the private industry is very happy to keep that kind of data from ever being formulated. But I'm not sure if such studies exist for federal prisons, though it would be rather telling if such data did exist and it were public (would have to be, no), and the same was not true of private prisons.

That, alone, is a solid reason to dump the private prison industry. If they aren't beholden to the same standards to maintain regulations as required by federal prisons, then that is an inherently corrupting model.

 

[Kazukian]

That's awesome, now for the states to follow.

 

[OutHouse]

To be fair, you were beaten by 8 minutes.

https://forums.anandtech.com/thread...s-it-will-end-use-of-private-prisons.2483478/

 

[Roflmouth]

Won't someone think of the prisoners?

 

[poofyhairguy]

I would care more if we reform our drug laws to stop stuffing prisons with nonviolent offenders.

 

[werepossum]

A huge step forward for prison reform in the U.S. Some things are simply not meant to be done by the private sector.

This, exactly.

 

[JSt0rm]

Profit is waste in healthcare, prisons, fire departments, police departments and the military.

 

[Sonikku]

Socialism!!

 

[norseamd]

Well .....

 

[Thebobo]

Hope you didn't have any stock in these companies

Private prison stocks collapse

....So it's perhaps not surprising to see that the stocks of CCA and GEO -- two of the largest private prison companies in the U.S. -- are crashing today on the Justice Department's news. As of this writing, shares of CCA stock (NYSE:CXW) are down by close to 40 percent, while shares of GEO (NYSE:GEO) are down by about 35 percent.

 

[Subyman]

Good. The profit incentive isn't quite the moral choice in some areas.

 

[OutHouse]

Hope you didn't have any stock in these companies

stock recovered 18% today. Yes i bought stock yesterday when it was at 16...