The public and
political support sides with private prisons in their growth due to their
ability to save money. Wackenhut and CCA have high cost-savings; for example in
Texas, the lowest state cost for each inmate. Thus private prisons are less expensive to service than
public prisons do (Miller, 2010). The two on average have a 5-15% cost savings
per inmate however, in 2001, the Bureau of Justice Assistance revealed that
their was a 20-percent savings with an average saving from privatization only with
1 percent.
In 2005, 10% of public prisons reached the quality standards point and
became accredited but 44% of private prisons grasped this point of
accreditation. Private prisons now require accreditation or at least in the
process of making current attempts to meet those standards. Accredited prisons or ones in
transition to becoming one offer services that are more equal if not better
than public prisons (Miller, 2010).
There was a table that went with these statistics and below that was a
link to the government source it was attained from that was as follows: “U.S.
Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime
Victimization Survey”. The source was further explained in the extended
reference page. In this location I found how the data was retrieved and a
paragraph long informative analysis of the report including the title and
authors. I’ve attached the
reference so you can see how well the information was explained; “Prison Privatization: A
Meta-Analysis of Cost and Quality of Confinement Indicators” By Brad
W. Lundahl, Chelsea Kunz, Cyndi Brownell, Norma Harris and Russ Van Vleet.
“Research
on Social Work Practice, Vol. 19, No. 4, 2009, pp. 383-394.
Objective:
To examine the results of prison privatization. Method: In an effort to provide
an empirical base from which decisions about privatization might be made, we
conducted a meta-analysis of reports on head-to-head comparisons between an
identifiable privately managed and publicly managed prison(s). Results: Our
search identified 12 studies. Indicators of cost of confinement and confinement
quality were assessed. Results suggest privately managed prisons provide no
clear benefit or detriment. Conclusion: Cost savings from privatizing prisons
are not guaranteed and appear minimal. Quality of confinement is similar across
privately and publicly managed systems, with publicly managed prisons
delivering slightly better skills training and having slightly fewer inmate
grievances. (Contains 3 tables.)”
Statistics from the MN Department of Corrections was very
simple to understand and offered a lot of valid information that is up to
date. To understand the kinds of
criminals found in Maximum security prisons these statistics helped. The data revealed that the number of
homicide felons is at 205, assaults at 74, criminal sexual assault at 41, kidnapping
at 5, robbery at 25 and first-degree burglary at 8. All of these people include those who have a sentence of a
year or longer in prison. Also, it
was collected that the average sentence in months was counted and the total was
203, though this was not including life sentences. There are 81 prisoners with active life sentences with the
possibility of parole and 66 active life sentences without parole. In collecting the data it was expressed
that the 425 inmates at the MN Oak Park Heights Correctional Facility in St.
Cloud gathered the information. Due to the information being collected directly
from the facility, I would say it is vary valid statistics.
Miller, David W. (2010). The drain of public prison systems
and the role of privatization:
A
case study of state correctional systems.
Minnesota Department of Corrections; Minnesota Correctional
Facility-Oak Park Heights: Inmate
profile. (01/31/2012). (State
Government Report). 5329 Osgood Avenue North, Still
Water MN 55082:
Hi Mary,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post! So the inmates themselves gathered statistics about their population?
Professor Wexelbaum