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Recent Research and Commentary

Jindal Continued Louisiana Privatization Push in 2011

Initiatives advanced in Medicaid, public employee health care and more

May 15, 2012

Leonard Gilroy

In the last year of his first term in office, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal continued to advance privatization as a central component of his broad government reform agenda. And with his re- election to a second term in November 2011, privatization is likely to continue to play a major role in the Pelican State's streamlining efforts for the next several years.

Kasich Administration Advanced Privatization in Ohio in 2011

Initiatives advanced in economic development, asset realignment and more

May 15, 2012

Leonard Gilroy

A year into his new administration—and as promised during his gubernatorial campaign—Ohio Gov. John Kasich has taken significant steps to advance privatization as a key component of his governing agenda.

Competition Would Improve North Carolina's Correctional Healthcare Delivery

Letter to the Editor Submitted to The News & Observer

May 9, 2012

Harris Kenny

Privatization is already being used in several Greensboro-area local correctional facilities, and in over a dozen states across the country from Florida to Wyoming. Policymakers have a duty to be careful stewards of scarce taxpayer dollars, so why take a proven policy reform off the table in North Carolina’s state facilities?

APR 2011: Corrections and Public Safety

May 2, 2012, 5:35pm

Harris Kenny

The rollout of Reason Foundation's Annual Privatization Report 2011 concluded this week with the Corrections and Public Safety section, which provides an overview of the latest news and trends in public-private partnerships in corrections and public safety.

The Year 2011 in Corrections Public-Private Partnerships and Public Safety

Corrections and Public Safety Chapter of Annual Privatization Report 2011

May 1, 2012

Leonard Gilroy, Harris Kenny

This section of Reason Foundation's Annual Privatization Report 2011 provides an overview of the latest news and trends in public-private partnerships in corrections and public safety. Highlights include:

• According to the most recent data compiled by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the total U.S. prison population declined for the first time in nearly four decades. The decrease is attributed largely to a decline in new prison admissions relative to prison releases in state prisons.
• Approximately 8 percent of the total prison population is currently housed in privately owned and/or operated facilities, while the remaining 92 percent continue to be housed in government-run facilities.
• In the 2011 case Brown v. Plata, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled California’s correctional system is providing unconstitutional mental and medical care to inmates. At the time, California held about 156,000 inmates in a system designed for less than 80,000 inmates – nearly twice the design capacity. In response, the court ordered the state reduce its system-wide prison population at or below an average of 137.5 percent of prison design capacity.
• A new form of public-private partnership is emerging in the United Kingdom and Florida that could dramatically reduce recidivism and transform corrections, whereby contractors would be compensated for achieving specific performance goals in reducing recidivism and improving rehabilitation. Florida is exploring this model for an 18-county region and would apply dozens of performance measures to quantify outcomes.
• In September 2011, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, under the guidance of Gov. John Kasich, announced the results of a large-scale procurement that will see the state raise $72 million from the sale of one state prison to a private operator—the first sale of its kind in the nation—and two others turned over to private management, for an estimated $13 million in annualized cost savings.
• Lawmakers in Texas, Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and elsewhere are pursuing meaningfully expanding the role the private sector plays in inmate healthcare delivery.

Annual Privatization Report 2011

Privatization trends in local, state and federal government, plus roads, highways, aviation, education and telecom

May 1, 2012

Leonard Gilroy, Harris Kenny

Now in its 25th year of publication, Reason Foundation's Annual Privatization Report is the world's longest running and most comprehensive report on privatization news, developments and trends.

Annual Privatization Report 2011 (APR 2011) details the latest on privatization and government reform initiatives at all levels of government. The individual sections of APR 2011 include:

• Federal Privatization
• State Privatization
• Local Privatization
• Air Transportation
• Surface Transportation
• Education
• Telecommunications
• Corrections and Public Safety

More »