For-profit detention, for decades the industry has been holding federal, state and local prisoners. The argument for the facilities has always been that when run like a business, prisons can be safer, more efficient and -of course- profitable.
A recent Inspector General report showed an increased likelihood of assault on guards and other prisoners. Last week the Justice Department said the facts on the ground went the other direction.
Private prisons just don't compare favorably to the Bureau of Prisons in terms of safety, security or the services they offer the inmates there." said Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates speaking with NPR.
Prison privatization have seen increasing criticism on both the left and the right, but the announcement did come as a surprise for - if no one else - Wall Street, which saw the value of private prison companies like GEO and the Corrections Corporation of America lose half their value in a day.
While GEO and CCA both have contracts with the U.S. Marshals service and the Department of Homeland Security, the announcement only affects prisoners under the Federal Bureau of Prisons
Guests:
- Gerald Gaes, Prison consultant, former director of research for the Federal Bureau of Prisons
- Daniel Mears, Mark C. Stafford professor of Criminology at Florida State University
