Prison Privatization in the Era of Mass Incarceration
Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Advisor
Thomas Loikith
Access Type
Event
Start Date
26-4-2024 11:15 AM
End Date
26-4-2024 12:15 PM
Description
The “War on Drugs” intensified law enforcement, led to mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses, resulted in a spike in incarceration rates, and increased costs and responsibilities related to managing prisons. One answer to the increased costs of managing an expanding prison population has been to "privatize" prison operations so that for-profit entities manage some prisons. Should mass incarceration continue to be addressed by privatizing prison operations? What steps should government take to manage rising costs of prison operations while protecting prisoners' rights, other than by privatizing prison operations? What should government do to better regulate the private operation of prisons by for-profit entities? This is a complex problem requiring interdisciplinary research to arrive at a more comprehensive understanding of the research problem. My research was in the disciplines of law and sociology. I used qualitative research methodology, specifically textual analysis. I researched and analyzed scholarly and other sources to find common insights between law and sociology and then to integrate such insights to determine new interdisciplinary insights which lead to suggested resolutions to the problem. I have not yet completed my research. I expect to complete it by early April. I tentatively conclude, however, that privatization of prisons to be operated by for-profit entities is detrimental to the well-being of prisoners. Legislatures need to amend existing laws to impose more stringent requirements on how privatized prisons are managed and to limit the ability of private prison operators to profit unduly from the recent mass incarceration epidemic.
Prison Privatization in the Era of Mass Incarceration
The “War on Drugs” intensified law enforcement, led to mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses, resulted in a spike in incarceration rates, and increased costs and responsibilities related to managing prisons. One answer to the increased costs of managing an expanding prison population has been to "privatize" prison operations so that for-profit entities manage some prisons. Should mass incarceration continue to be addressed by privatizing prison operations? What steps should government take to manage rising costs of prison operations while protecting prisoners' rights, other than by privatizing prison operations? What should government do to better regulate the private operation of prisons by for-profit entities? This is a complex problem requiring interdisciplinary research to arrive at a more comprehensive understanding of the research problem. My research was in the disciplines of law and sociology. I used qualitative research methodology, specifically textual analysis. I researched and analyzed scholarly and other sources to find common insights between law and sociology and then to integrate such insights to determine new interdisciplinary insights which lead to suggested resolutions to the problem. I have not yet completed my research. I expect to complete it by early April. I tentatively conclude, however, that privatization of prisons to be operated by for-profit entities is detrimental to the well-being of prisoners. Legislatures need to amend existing laws to impose more stringent requirements on how privatized prisons are managed and to limit the ability of private prison operators to profit unduly from the recent mass incarceration epidemic.