Why are prisons privatized?

Private prisons are, in theory, a practical solution to a thorny problem. The state has too many prisoners and not enough prisons. The public sector is unable or unwilling to build more. Private companies step in and earn revenue per prisoner to maintain and run the facilities. read more

While you can perhaps incentivize it to improve, you cannot incentivize a private corporation to go out of business. As long as we have private prisons, their corporate leadership will support policies that fill every bed. There are roughly 115,000 people incarcerated in private prisons: 25,000 in the federal system and 90,000 in the states. read more

A private prison, or for-profit prison, is a place in which individuals are physically confined or incarcerated by a third party that is contracted by a government agency. Private prison companies typically enter into contractual agreements with governments that commit prisoners and then pay a per diem or monthly rate, either for each prisoner in the facility, or for each place available, whether occupied or not. read more

Private prisons are a cancer. Private prisons make money by locking people up, and the more people they lock up for more time, the more money they make. Private prisons are morally distasteful, they don't save money, and they have historic performance problems. read more