Contracting Out: The Most Viable Solution (From Privatizing the United States Justice System: Police, Adjudication, and Corrections Services From the Private Sector, P 131-137, 1992, Gary W Bowman, Simon Hakim, et al., eds. - See NCJ-137785)

• NCJ Number: 137792
• Author(s): M Freeman
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 7 pages
• Sale Source: McFarland & Company, Inc.
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Governments' increasing efforts to find alternative methods to provide inexpensive and efficient public services have led to growing levels of privatization, including the privatization of police services.

Abstract

Communities vary greatly in their approaches to privatization and the extent to which they use it. The main approaches to privatization are the use of volunteers, the purchase of service contracts with nonprofit organizations, contracting for public safety services with other jurisdictions, and contracting for support services. The preparations that a local government makes before entering a contract will affect the quality and cost of the contract, how well it will be accepted by existing personnel, and its resistance to corruption. The police agency should be closely involved in the planning and drafting of the contract, even if some other agency will actually sign it. Local governments should also recognize that private firms can go out of business and that some firms make low bids to win a contract and gradually increase the costs in subsequent years while making the city increasingly dependent on them. Finally, governments should recognize that privatization may be limited by concerns about accountability, union opposition, and equity issues. 3 references