Private Prisons Are They The Criminal Justice Systems...

Private Prisons: Are They the Criminal Justice Systems’ Savior or Destroyer? As of 2005, there are over 107 privately operated secure facilities contracting to hold adult criminal offenders in the United States (Seiter, p. 164) According to Richard P. Seiter (2011), â€Å"A private correctional facility is any correctional facility operated by a nongovernmental agency and usually in a for-profit manner that contracts with a governmental entity to provide security, housing, and programs for offenders† (Seiter, p.93) However, there is much controversy over whether private prisons are helping to have more cost effectiveness and efficiency than a public prison system. Private prisons at first seemed to be a well-rounded idea. Despite, the initial†¦show more content†¦One of the key elements for a private correctional facility or prison is to provide security (Seiter, p. 93) Private prisons do provide this element, but how well do they. In 2010, three murders escap ed from a minimum to medium security prison in Arizona called Kingman Prison. This prison was operated by MTC (Management and Training Corporation) (Levine). These three murders reaped havoc among many states after their escape until they were finally captured. Private prisons and the Kingman Prison are designed to provide the maximum security for inmates and the public too. However, this escape just shows how unequipped private prisons are, as well as, under staffed and not properly trained. Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said, â€Å" I believe a big part of our problem is that the very violent inmates , like the three that escaped, ended up getting reclassified [as a lower risk]quickly and sent to private prisons that were just not up to the job† (Levine). Not only are private prisons unequipped for the job, but the lower staff levels and lack of training for the staff suggest more incidences of violence and escapes. From a study, there is evidence that guards ar e assaulted 49 percent more than in a public prison and the assault of inmates against one another is 65 percent more than in a