FOR

by SARAH BOURKOFF STAFF WRITER

ever, this money is poured back into the institutions’ safety, programs, and quality. Private prisons also utilize their money to create a much safer and more productive environment for inmates and employees, not only in their own prisons but also within the governments. Private prisons were founded with the intention of reducing overpopulation in other facilities; this goal was and continues to be met.

Because both public and private facilities can now have a safe and appropriate amount of people under their care, employees and prisoners can receive the care and attention they need and reside in a much more mentally and physically healthier environment. Emily Wildra, a staff member at the Prison Policy Initiative, has said that overpopulation correlates to “increased violence, lack of adequate health care, limited programming and educational opportunities, and reduced visitation.” This is even more true during the COVID-19 pandemic, where the risks of infection would be much higher in overpopulated facilities. Private prisons are also able to allocate money that the government cannot afford to drug treatments and programs that reduce re-imprisonment, as seen by the doubled percentage of drug treatment programs in private institutions over the public. Private prisons pose no issues to our criminal justice system here in the U.S. The quality and safety of private and public institutions are the same, and at the end of the day, no matter where prisoners are housed, they will still exist. Private prisons are no worse than state prisons—data would prove the opposite. If particular administrations would like to address their moral concerns for private prisons, concerns I would argue are invalid seeing as private prisons are either the same or better than our government-run facilities, they could utilize private sectors by creating incentives. Australia and New Zealand are perfect examples of these incentive programs; private prisons can earn bonuses/price cuts for beating the government with lower rates of reincarceration-specifically within BIPOC populations, and owe money for any riots, escapes, and unnatural deaths. Disabling the use of private prisons within our system would not be a step toward solving mass incarceration or any other issue associated with America’s criminal justice system. The attention spent by the public and legislators on the use of private prisons takes time and resources away from the actual revision of the criminal justice system. improve life outcomes for prisoners.

Note: This article does not represent the personal views of the author.