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Corrections and Prisons

"Reason's longstanding advocacy of 'Free Minds & Free Markets' has been a source of inspiration to those of us battling against the encroachment of government upon individual freedom and taxpayers' money." - William F. Weld, Former Governor of Massachusetts

Studies Show Private Prisons Deliver Better Quality, Lower Costs
Private prisons are delivering significant cost savings and equal or higher levels of quality when compared to government-run correctional facilities, according to a Reason Foundation study. Reason examined data from 18 quality comparison studies conducted since 1989 and found that private prisons outperformed, or were equal to, their government counterparts in 16 of 18 studies. In studies comparing costs, private prisons demonstrated significant savings in 22 of 28 studies. Reason’s analysis, Weighing the Watchmen, is available in two parts:

» Study: Employing a Best Value Approach to Procurement (Part 1) (.pdf)
» Study: Reviewing the Literature on Cost and Quality Comparisons (Part 2) (.pdf)
» Privatization Watch: Corrections Issue (.pdf)


Corrections/Prisons Experts


Leonard Gilroy
Director of Government Reform

Adrian Moore
Vice President, Research

Media Contact


Chris Mitchell
Director of Communications
(310) 367-6109


Policy Studies


Corporate Corrections? Frequently Asked Questions About Prison Privatization
November 2002
By Geoffrey F. Segal
 » Full Text (html)

The Extent, History, and Role of Private Companies in the Delivery of Correctional Services in the United States
November 2002
By Geoffrey F. Segal
 » Full Study (.pdf)

Weighing the Watchmen: Evaluating the Costs and Benefits of Outsourcing Correctional Services
Part 2: Reviewing the Literature on Cost and Quality Comparisons

January 2002
By Geoffrey F. Segal and Adrian T. Moore
 » Full Study (.pdf)
 » Policy Summary

Weighing the Watchmen: Evaluating the Costs and Benefits of Outsourcing Correctional Services
Part 1: Employing a Best Value Approach to Procurement

January 2002
By Geoffrey F. Segal and Adrian T. Moore
 » Full Study (.pdf)
 » Policy Summary

Innovative Alternatives to Traditional Municipal/County Corrections
March 2001
By Geoffrey F. Segal
 » Full Text (html)

Emerging Options for Youthful Offenders: Utilizing Public-private Partnerships to Offer Hope, New Direction for Troubled Youth
December 2000
By Geoffrey Segal
 » Full Text (html)

Private Prisons: Quality Corrections at a Lower Cost
April 1998
By Adrian T. Moore
 » Full Study (.pdf)

 

More Corrections Studies

Commentary


Comparing the Performance of Private and Public Prisons
If you can't win, change the rules
April 4, 2006 | Reason.org
By Geoffrey Segal, Reason
 » Full Text

CA Prison System Presents Major Reform Opportunity
Schwarzenegger needs to battle powerful prison guards
January 12, 2006 | Reason.org
By Geoffrey Segal, Reason
 » Full Text

Private Prison Success
Study says CA private prison is delivering results
November 30, 2005 | Reason.org
By Geoffrey Segal, Reason
 » Full Text

Significant Evidence that Prison Privatization Improves Quality
Testimony to Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons
November 2, 2005 | Testimony
By Geoffrey Segal, Reason
 » Full Text

Contracting Out Forces Prisons to Focus on Results, Peformance
Testimony to Utah Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee
September 21, 2005 | Testimony
By Geoffrey Segal, Reason
 » Full Text

Debating Prison Privatization Costs and Benefits
Audio discussion from Corrections Connection News Network
April 5, 2005 | CCNN
By Adrian Moore, Reason
 » Audio Link

 

More Corrections Op-Eds and Commentaries



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