A prison riot at a company-run facility in southern Colorado has reignited the debate over private lockups.More than 3,500 prison beds in Colorado are managed by companies, meaning nearly 20 percent of the state's total prison capacity is in private hands.
While officials for the private-prison company say privatization helps cash- strapped state governments and provides quality service, those numbers raise concern among some analysts and state lawmakers who doubt the costs and benefits.
O.K. I'll buy that...Give me another option...Denver needs a new jail badly, but it keeps getting protested because people don't want it "in their backyard". We need jails. These companies are filling that need. You got a better idea, let's have it.
The key to privatizing prisons is to have good auditors who can make sure the companies aren't cutting corners, or steep penalties written into the contract that trigger big fines for abusing prisoners or allowing an escape. If those loose ends are tied, privatization is nearly always the best course.
Posted by: Christian Muniz | July 26, 2004 at 08:40 PM