Public-Private Partnerships in the U.S. Prison System

Abstract

Prison policy is fundamentally different from virtually all other policy arenas in that prisons deliver punishment, rather than benefits, costs, or regulations. Within a prison, every aspect of an inmate's life is disciplined and subject to enhanced punishment at the discretion of guards and other personnel. Thus, special issues are raised when considering the appropriate role of the private sector in the management or ownership of prisons. Drawing from a theory of policy design, this study traces the emergence, demise, and reemergence of private involvement in prisons. Driven by hopes of creating prisons that could be self-sufficient, or even profitable, public officials periodically have turned to private entrepreneurs to build and manage these institutions. The study examines the claims made for and against private prisons including the “script” that purports to account for their reemergence in the 1990s and the empirical studies that have focused on costs and benefits of various types of public-private partnerships.