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Pros and Cons of Privitazation of Prisons

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"Pros And Cons Of Prison Privatization" Prisons are institutions that have specifically been designed to handle the members of the society who are under conviction of different crimes. The people who reside in the prisons are referred to as inmates or prisoners and the time they spend in the prisons depends on the imprisonment period. This period is dependent of the intensity of the crime committed. Once in the prisons, the inmates undergo rehabilitation, incapacitation, retribution and deterrence which are elements considered appropriate for the provision of justice to the society. In the past, it has been the responsibility of the government to manage these institutions on behalf of the society. The process of privatizing the prison industry has both negative and positive effects. Sloane, 1996). Privatization has been applied in prison departments in most countries across the globe, there are few countries who used it in the past. For example during the mid 18th century, the United States government entered into a treaty with a number of private investors to manage a number of its institutions and these investors went ahead to contract inmates to some of their private enterprises as a source of labor. Some of the institutions that were contracted included 'New York Auburn and Louisiana' penal colonies. However, this did not last for long based on the fact that there was rampant corruption that was carried out as well as vicious resistance from other businesses who termed this as some kind of 'unfair' competition that was caused by these workers who were unpaid. Sloane, 1996). The Pros on the Prison Privatization Industry One of the major benefits that privatization of prisons would bring about is cost saving. The cost of crime depends upon the increase in the rate of crime. The government spends billions of

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