There has been a stunning build-up of prisons and a growing trend in prison privatization in the last 30 years, including the rise of maximum security units. The goal of my dissertation is to understand the ideological, historic, political, and economic processes behind the changes in the criminal justice system of the United States. I analyze this problem from multiple angles—labor and policy history, discourse and public opinion, and race in America. The aim of this analysis is to uncover the reasons why crime legislation became progressively more punitive, reaction to African Americans gains in post-Civil Rights more hostile, and the manifold ways in which these phenomena drive the expansion of the prison system and its increasing privatization. In the process of this expansion, a racial caste system which oppresses young African Americans and people of color has become recast and entrenched. Specifically, I offer the notion that in the last three decades, punitive crime legislation focused on African Americans and served to deal with labor needs and racial conflict with harsher penal legislation; in doing so, it depoliticized race, institutionalized racial practices, and served the interests of private prison businesses in new ways oppressive ways. Using interdisciplinary methods which weave together qualitative and quantitative analysis, I find that punitive crime policies in the last thirty years used the concept of crime as political currency by government officials in order to appear tough on crime, and by business representatives interested in exploiting the prison industry. The conflation of business and political interests, and the recasting of crime as a race problem, served to taint public institutions and media dissemination with racist imperatives which stereotyped poor African Americans. The end result is a constant re-positioning of young black males as fodder for economic exploitation. The dissertation also addresses the high cost of imprisonment and the multiple social problems brought from shifting inmates from wards of the State to profit-making opportunities in the hands of private entrepreneurs. The result is high numbers of recidivism, and a growing underclass of people who will always be unemployed or underemployed and return to low income communities that suffer from the endless cycle of poverty and imprisonment. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

In the past two decades, the prison population has increased considerably in many industrialized countries. In the United States, for example, the prison population has more than quadrupled since 1980. As a response to the considerable incarceration costs, the number of private prisons and the number of prisoners working for private corporations have increased significantly. Proponents of private sector involvement in prison industries argue that inmate labour can reduce the incarceration costs and contribute to rehabilitation of prisoners. / The question of private sector involvement in prison facilities raises significant concerns as regards to international labour standards. Opponents of private sector involvement argue that private hiring of prison labour can involve exploitation. They also argue that the authority for punishment is a core governmental function that cannot be delegated to the private sector. Furthermore, in most cases, labour and social security laws are not applied to inmates. Therefore, prison labour can constitute unfair competition with free labour or even go as far as to replace free labour.

No description available.

<p>The privatization of public prisons has caused much controversy in South Africa as well as internationally. However, it should be noted that the level of resistance to privatisation within the South African context has been minimal by international standards. It is not clear what might have contributed to this quiet approach given the fact that there are many anti-privatisation campaigns driven by the labour movement and civil society groups in South Africa. This research investigation focused on the privatisation of prisons and prison services in South Africa and has explored the various advantages and disadvantages that exist in this respect.</p>

published_or_final_version / Politics and Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

<p>The privatization of public prisons has caused much controversy in South Africa as well as internationally. However, it should be noted that the level of resistance to privatisation within the South African context has been minimal by international standards. It is not clear what might have contributed to this quiet approach given the fact that there are many anti-privatisation campaigns driven by the labour movement and civil society groups in South Africa. This research investigation focused on the privatisation of prisons and prison services in South Africa and has explored the various advantages and disadvantages that exist in this respect.</p>

No description available.

This thesis examines privatization of local level corrections in southern California.

Private prisons in South Africa are still premature but it will be increased because negotiations are on the track. The government should take a more serious look at private prisons as an alternative to public production of correctional service due to its efficiency. It is clear that the privatization of correctional facilities is a viable option for the future of correctional facilities. The expansion of privatization in this country will depend upon public and political confidence that private prisons will as effectively and accountable as public prisons. Private prisons have also demonstrated to have other advantages such as continuous audits on site. The aim of this study is to provide some insight into the privatization of prisons. / Penology / M.A. (Penology)

Private prisons in South Africa are still premature but it will be increased because negotiations are on the track. The government should take a more serious look at private prisons as an alternative to public production of correctional service due to its efficiency. It is clear that the privatization of correctional facilities is a viable option for the future of correctional facilities. The expansion of privatization in this country will depend upon public and political confidence that private prisons will as effectively and accountable as public prisons. Private prisons have also demonstrated to have other advantages such as continuous audits on site. The aim of this study is to provide some insight into the privatization of prisons. / Penology / M.A. (Penology)