Contract Management in Corrections: The Queensland Experience (From Private Prisons and Police: Recent Australian Trends, P 179-193, 1994, Paul Moyle, ed. - See NCJ-160698)

• NCJ Number: 160705
• Author(s): S Macionis
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 15 pages
• Sale Source: Pluto Press Austrialia Limited
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: Australia
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

The history of privatization in corrections in Queensland, Australia, is outlined, with emphasis on the rationale involved, the contractual arrangements, operational issues, and contract monitoring.

Abstract

Until 1990, the management of prisons in Australia was conducted exclusively by public sector employees. Unfortunately, inefficient work practices and ineffective and sometimes inhumane methods of operation had become entrenched. Many public employees had difficulty recognizing the need for change or actively participating in it. Contracting out the management of some correctional institutions and community corrections centers to the private sector and community organizations has been a useful tool for the Queensland Corrective Services Commission (QCSC) in breaking the inertia of the status quo. Competition from the private sector has motivated government employees to address their work practices. Borallon Correctional Center has provided a model for a programs-run institution. QCSC is currently making arrangements to introduce ideas from Borallon into the government system. The program has achieved significant cost savings and given employees least able to operate in the new environment the opportunity to terminate their employment with QCSC.