Fact Sheet

The privatization of adult jails and prisons is an established and growing trend, with Corrections Corporation of American (CCA), Wackenhut and a host of smaller companies vying for market share. CCA has been one of the top performers on the stock market in recent years, and boasts of extremely high return rates in its investment brochures.

These same corporations have begun to turn their attention to the juvenile facilities market. Private for-profit corporations currently operate secure juvenile facilities in at least 23 states and the District of Columbia. With its recent acquisition of Youth Services International, Correctional Services Corporation (CSC) has emerged as the dominant player in the juvenile corrections segment of the market.

Proponents of privatization cite the benefits of free enterprise, pointing out that competition may lead to superior products and lower costs. However, privatization also poses significant risks for incarcerated youth.

For-profit corporations necessarily emphasize the bottom line, and in corrections, cost savings rarely result from new and innovative programs or ideas. Instead, facilities save money by hiring fewer and less qualified staff, and reducing services and programs such as mental health treatment and education.

The conditions and practices in juvenile facilities are tied directly to the number of staff and the quality of their training. Conditions deteriorate rapidly in a facility run by insufficient, poorly-trained or inexperienced staff, and there are far more incidents involving violence, injury, and excessive use of restraints and isolation. Rehabilitative programs are sacrificed to accommodate tight security and controls.

There have been several recent reports of abuses in juvenile facilities operated by for-profit corporations. Human Rights Watch identified significant problems in the High Plains facility in Colorado. The Pahokee juvenile facility in Florida was the subject of court proceedings brought by public defenders. And The New York Times reported that the Tallulah Correctional Center for Youth in Louisiana was "a juvenile prison so rife with brutality, cronyism and neglect that many legal experts say it is the worst in the nation."

Concerns raised, and questions left largely unanswered in the rush to privatize juvenile facilities include the following:

The legal rights and developmental needs of incarcerated youth are very different from those of convicted adults. What qualifies private corrections corporations to administer juvenile facilities?

State monitoring of publicly run juvenile facilities is often inadequate. Who is responsible for monitoring conditions and practices in privately run facilities, and to what standards are such facilities held?

Private prisons often bring in prisoners from other states in order to maximize profits. What is to prevent the confinement of youth in private facilities located so far from their homes that visits with their families and reintegration into their communities are impossible?

Private for-profit facilities have a strong incentive to keep their beds full. What incentives do private corporations have to support prevention programs or programs to reduce recidivism?

References:

Sources: David Shichor, Punishment for Profit (1995)

John D. Donahue, The Privatization Decision: Public Ends, Private Means (1989)

Prison Privatization Report International, Prison Reform Trust; Eric Schlosser, "The Prison-Industrial Complex," The Atlantic Monthly (December 1998)

David Jackson, "Broken Teens Left in Wake of Private Gain," Chicago Tribune, (September 27, 1999)

Eric Bates, "Private Prisons," The Nation (January 5, 1998)