Prison Privatization
Did you know that the first for-profit prison in the United States was San Quentin in California?“…after a number of major scandals surfaced surrounding the mismanagement of the facility… California turned San Quentin prison over to the control of the state government.” (1)The debate continues in Oregon: Is prison privatization—that is, running prisons as a private corporation—more cost effective than having the government run the prisons? Safety or Security?Some people argue that prisons can be run by private contractors at a lower cost than the government. But can private contractors maintain safety and security as well as government agencies?The debate over prison privatization is very significant. More is involved than saving taxpayers’ dollars—like public safety. Those who argue for privatization say that a corporation is not burdened by the bureaucracy that creates problems for government agencies. Is this true? Are private prisons really without bureaucracy? The question might better be asked, is there any corporation anywhere that doesn’t have to deal with bureaucracy? Either system creates (or maintains) correctional officer jobs. Either system will employ pretty much the same people who would be inclined to pursue a career in the correctional field. So why, then, are current government employees in the correctional field so strongly opposed to prison privatization? Open Scrutiny of Prison OperationOne aspect of the debate that many citizens are unaware of is, private-corporation prisons are less open to scrutiny than those run by the government. Just because the government—and by default, taxpayers—are paying a private corporation to operate a prison, doesn’t mean those private corporations have to open their doors to security audits the way a government agency does.Proponents of privatization would argue that the corporation a government contracts with could be required to, yet at some point, the corporation could easily change that requirement. How? By running the prisons efficiently enough that once the citizens are dependent on the private prison, the corporation could insist on changing the contract in an upcoming biennium to require less scrutiny. And what would the taxpayers do? Say no? What if they did? Clearly, a private corporation could easily become powerful enough in its relationship with a state legislature that eventually, the tail could wag the dog. Your Opinion MattersAs a member of the Association of Oregon Corrections Employees, perhaps the most important opinion in this debate is yours. You are not only a devoted, skilled corrections professional, but a taxpaying citizen who cares what the government chooses to do with your tax dollars.That’s right—every government employee is as much a taxpayer as the people exercising their right to free speech by arguing in favor of prison privatization. (This is something some pundits seem to forget, even though the population of state employees in Oregon remains a significant voter base!) And because this web site is yours, as an AOCE member, we have set up these pages to enable you to express your opinion!When you click on the link below, it will take you to a page where AOCE members can submit your own opinion article or statement. The page is easy to use, much like filling in a form, then clicking on a button to send your submission to the webmaster. The webmaster will verify that you are, in fact, an AOCE member, then send your article live. Express Your Opinion HereSo write out your opinion—all we ask is that you remain professional and respectful in how you express yourself—and make a statement in support of your career.As a correctional employee, whether officer or non-uniformed staff, your opinion is not only welcome here, but needed if we are going to make a statement in defense of the career in corrections that we all take great pride in.
The Privatization of Juvenile Corrections Facilities - Fact Sheet Private Prisons Spend Millions On Lobbying To Put More People In Jail __________ 1.(Schmalleger, F., & Smykla, J. (2007, 2005, 2002). Corrections in the 21st Century. New York: McGraw-Hill.) |
If you thought the idea of for-profit prison privatization was new, think again.