Privatization of Canadian Prisons - Essay Example

Privatization of Prisons al Introduction A private prison is a facility in which prisoners are restrained or confined by a private organization hired by the government. Privatization refers to the methodical process of transfer of management of a state or federal incarceration facilities to a third party in the private sector. The government can transfer already built prison facilities to a third party or allow the organization to build new incarceration facilities. Private prisons have their activities and operations reorganized to turn in a profit for the managing company. Leasing of government-run prisons to private companies is done through a process of contracting where the state considers bids from various firms then tenders the facility to a suitable corporation. The local or state government in turn charges a monthly rate for each inmate in the private prison (Joel, 2015). The paper will examine the issue of privatization of prisons in the Canadian context and offer recommendations regarding whether the Canadian government should privatize its correctional facilities. Inception of Privatization of Prisons Privatization of prisons is a trend that is getting intense consideration in most countries. The earliest cases of prison privatization were at the end of the 19th century where both the United Kingdom and the United States transferred the control and care of convicts to third parties. During that period, only critical prison functions were contracted to private firms while the government remained in full control of the prison. In the Unites States, companies bid for convict leases that allowed them to use a particular number of inmates in their business operations (Simmons, 2014). The prisoner leases provided private companies with cheap labor. The prisoners usually performed hard physical tasks for long periods of the day in poor working conditions. With time, prisoners comprised a substantial percentage of the country’s total workforce. Due to public outcry and the push by various interest groups, the provision of convict leases to private firms was abolished and effectively outlawed (Simmons, 2014). In the 1980s, the government decided to give privatization another try. The change of policy was necessitated by the exponential increase in the number of inmates in prison facilities around the country. The rapid increase of prisoners was a result of tightening of crime control measures and the effectiveness of the war against drug trafficking and peddling. Due to the high population of detainees, running the prisons had become costly for the state and in turn the taxpayer. Federal and state governments had to set aside large portions of their budgets towards managing prisons (Simmons, 2014). State correctional facilities were ill-equipped to control the large numbers of prisoners cost effectively and therefore, privatization was reconsidered. Various states passed legislation to allow for private companies to get contracts to run prisons. The government began issuing contracts to third party organizations to manage the operations of prisons. The issue gained steam when the private prisons began turning in profits for their companies leading to more firms trying their hand at running penitentiaries. Currently, private prisons house more than 150,000 prisoners which constitute approximately 9% of the total population of detainees in the United States (Selman & Leighton, 2010). Privatization of Prisons in Canada Unlike its southern neighbor, the privatization of prisons has not been extensively embraced in Canada. Up-to-date, the only privately controlled prison has been the Central North Correctional Centre located in Penetanguishene in Ontario (Tencer, 2012). The private prison was operated by Management and Training Corporation, a United States corporation, in 2001 after being awarded the contract by the provincial administration. The prison was closed down in 2006 and taken over by the provincial government under the Liberals. The prison was closed down after audits of the facility revealed that the penitentiary had inadequate security, deplorable health care and poor prison conditions (Tencer, 2012). Public opinion towards privatization of prisons has generally been negative. However, in recent years, the overcrowding of prisons in a majority of incarceration facilities around the country has resurrected the debate on whether privatization of prisons should be instituted. The decline in the number of facilities available for privatization in the United States has obliged companies to venture into countries such as Canada that have publicly run prison facilities (Warmington, 2012). Recent crime bills passed by Canada will see criminal offenders face longer and harsher sentences means that prison facilities in the country will likely be overpopulated. The high cost of operating the large number of prisons has also had a heavy toll on the budget. Provinces such as Ottawa are in advanced stages of drafting plans for prison privatization of contracting of services to private companies. Various interest groups have been vocal in their support or opposition to the privatization of prisons in Canada (Tencer, 2012). Forms of Privatization The privatization of prisons can take many forms. The most common type of privatization is the complete ownership and management of prisons by private companies. In this way, the state relinquishes all control of the facility to a third party. The company in turn operates the prison for a profit while paying the government a monthly fee for all the prisoners in the facility (Joel, 2015). The private companies are allowed to expand the existing facilities or build new prisons. Another form of privatization is the leasing out of prison labor to private firms. The company trains and utilizes the inmates in various tasks while remitting their earnings to the state. The wages for the prisoners are agreed upon by the government and the private company. Another form of privatization is the contracting of various prison services to private agencies. The most commonly contracted services are medical care, food, drug treatment, rehabilitation of inmates, and staff training (Friedman & Parenti, 2013). Motivations for Privatization of Prisons There are various reasons why the government would consider transferring control of prisons to private agencies or contracting out prison labor to third parties. The increase in the population of incarcerated people creates pressure on the government to build new facilities to restrain the prisoners. With the upsurge in the number of inmates, the cost of running the prisons increases drastically therefore putting pressure on the financial resources of the state. With taxpayers unwilling to support increased government spending towards the penal system, the government is obliged to contract private companies to operate the prisons or use the inmate workforce (Tabarrok, 2004). The privatization is aimed at reducing the costs to the government and handing over control to companies that can efficiently manage the prisons. Another motivation for the privatization of prisons is the need for the government to improve the conditions of various prison facilities that are in deplorable states (Selman & Leighton, 2010). Private prisons are also contracted to build new incarceration facilities in order to reduce the rampant overcrowding in jails. The state can also lease out convict labor to lessen the cost of running the prison but maintaining total complete control of the incarceration services. Private companies are motivated by the notion of turning out a profit from running the prisons. Private companies stand to pocket high profit margins due to the cheap labor provided by prisoners. Companies can utilize the prison labor in tasks that would normally require non-skilled or semi-skilled labor in the outside world. The great success of private prisons has also encouraged more companies to venture into the privatization sector in hopes of increasing their income (Selman & Leighton, 2010). Benefits of Privatizing Prisons The privatization of prisons has had various advantages to the government, the public, and the private organizations. The first benefit of private prisons is the transfer of operating costs from the government to the private company. When the state contracts third parties to run prisons, the government ceases all financial remittances to the prison thus freeing up funds in the budget for other projects (Joel, 2015). Cost-benefit analyses of private prisons and public prisons have determined that the cost-effectiveness of running private prisons is far greater than that of public facilities. Private prisons are constructed and managed with cost savings of upwards of 10% that effectively reduces the financial liability on the state by billions (Tabarrok, 2004). Cost effectiveness is achieved through efficient and inventive management practices. Privatization of prisons has therefore reduced the burden on the taxpayer who would otherwise fund the less efficient public prisons. By contracting services, the government also makes considerable savings to its prison expenditure (Friedman & Parenti, 2013). Private prisons provide more quality services than their public counterparts. Due to the widespread overcrowding of public prison facilities, services such as security, housing, nutrition and health care are in an appalling state. Private prisons have managed to increase security in prisons leading to fewer cases of escaped inmates or attempted escapes. The reduced number of prison breaks in private facilities is beneficial to the public and the justice system which demands that lawbreakers face their sentences away from the law abiding public for specific periods. Improved services such as health care and nutrition ensure that prisoners are housed in humane conditions that guarantees their health and secures their dignity (Joel, 2015). Private prisons also have better training programs for employees who work in prison facilities. The well-trained staffs ensure that the prison operates efficiently and that services are dispensed with proficiency. Research has proven that private prisons have lower rates of recidivism than government-run prisons. The low rate of recidivism can be attributed to the effectiveness of the rehabilitation programs offered to inmates in private prisons (Volokh, 2014). Private companies hire or train professionals to provide extensive rehabilitation to convicts. Private prisons also offer more quality training and education to inmates. The acquisition of special skills by inmates reduces the possibility of repeat offending and providing inmates with income generating skills upon release from prison. The training and rehabilitation go a long way in reducing the crime rate in the country (Tabarrok, 2004). Privatization of prisons has effectively reduced overcrowding in incarceration facilities. The problem of overcrowded has been caused by longer prison sentences and the increase in crime levels. Overcrowding is responsible for the poor conditions of prison facilities and low-quality services. Efforts by the state to increase funding to correctional systems in order to increase the number of prisons have received opposition from taxpayers (Volokh, 2014). Private prisons have managed to reduce overcrowding by building new correctional facilities. The increase in new private prisons has reduced the pressure on existing prisons hence curbing the problem of congestion (Friedman & Parenti, 2013). Private companies have benefitted by raking in huge profit margins from the operations of private prisons. The cost of running prison industries is relatively lower due to the utilization of inmates who are paid lower wages than would be possible outside prison. The low operational costs have enabled private firms to gain high profit margins. Private prisons reduce the risk of financial failure by the companies operating them due to the low wages and the constant availability of convict labor. Prison industries also provide the detainees with a real-world work environment that is of economic benefit to them in and out of prison (Joel, 2015). Disadvantages of Privatization of Prisons Despite the numerous benefits, privatization of prisons has several shortcomings. Some private prisons have been accused of reducing the quality of essential services in order to increase their profits. The services that are mostly targeted by private prison management are medical care, security, and food. The reduction in such services places the prisoners, the public and the prison employees at risk. The private companies have been indicted for utilizing prisoners in poor working conditions and paying then very low wages. In situations where the private prison is making a loss, the companies tend to reduce the quality of services in the prison and ship out less beneficial inmates to public facilities (Selman & Leighton, 2010). Private prisons pose the risk of lack of accountability and transparency to the government and the public. The private companies controlling private prisons are not obliged to offer complete transparency, unlike public prisons. Thereby, the extent of the breach of human rights cannot be completely ascertained in private prisons (Volokh, 2014). External independent audits of private prisons have revealed that some private prisons treat prisoners poorly and subject them to callous conditions with the objective of reducing costs and maximizing profits. Some private prisons have also been collusion with judicial employees to enable them get more inmates into their prisons with the view to increase their workforce. Various contracting agreements between the government and private agencies have been tainted by claims of corruption (Friedman & Parenti, 2013). Recommendations for Privatization of Prisons in Canada There is considerable pressure on the state by various agencies who advocate for the privatization of prisons in order to reduce the expenditure towards prisons and to reduce the rampant overcrowding in Canadian prisons (Warmington, 2012). Despite the benefits that the government and public stand to gain from private prisons, the state should not allow for the privatization of the prison system. The government should instead apply innovative measure to reduce the cost of running public prisons. The judiciary system should be encouraged to offer shorter and less severe sentences to petty offenders. The state and judiciary should apply other correctional programs such as rehabilitation to reduce the pressure on incarceration facilities. Conclusion Privatization refers to the methodical process of transfer of control of a state or federal incarceration facilities to a third party in the private sector. Privatization is done through leasing out of prison labor, contracting for services of complete private ownership of prisons. Currently, Canada has not incorporated private prisons but pressure is exerted due to overcrowding of prisons, a constrictive budget, and the high cost of operation. The benefits of private prisons include: quality services; cost effectiveness; lower rates of recidivism; reduced congestion; and profits for the companies. Deficiencies of private prisons include reduced quality of services, corruption in contracting procedures, and lack of transparency. Canada is encouraged to steer away from the privatization of prisons and instead apply measures to save costs and reduce overcrowding in prisons. References Friedman, A., & Parenti, C. (2013). Capitalist Punishment: Prison Privatization and Human Rights. New Zealand: Clarity Press. Joel, D. (2015). A Guide to Prison Privitization. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved from: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/1988/05/bg650-a-guide-to-prison-privatization Selman, D., & Leighton, P. (2010). Punishment for Sale: Private Prisons, Big Business, and the Incarceration Binge. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. Simmons, M. (2014). Punishment and Profits: A Brief History of Private Prisons in Oklahoma. Oklahoma:Oklahoma Policy Institute. Tabarrok, A. T. (2004). Private Prisons have Public Benefits. Oakland, California: The Independent Institute. Tencer, D. (2012). Prison Privatization: Canada Mulls Contracting Services To Companies Lobbying For Correctional Work. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/07/13/prison-privatization-canada_n_1670755.html Volokh, S. (2014). Are Private Prisons Better or Worse than Public Prisons? The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/02/25/are-private-prisons-better-or-worse-than-public-prisons/ Warmington, J. (2012, April 19). Is Canada Headed Towards Privatized Prisons. Toronto Sun. Retrieved from: http://www.torontosun.com/2012/04/19/is-canada-headed-towards-privatized-prisons Read More