NCJ Number
212550
Journal
Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 16 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2005 Pages: 412-442
Date Published
December 2005
Length
31 pages
Annotation
By integrating several policy analysis perspectives, this article examines prison privatization policy in the United States from 1984 to the turn of the century.
Abstract
The period from 1984 to 1998 marked the prime of the private prison industry. Prison privatization provided an expedient remedy for prison overcrowding in a time of rapid growth in the correctional population. However, by 1998, a leveling off in prison population growth rates and a reduction in Federal court oversight of State correctional systems eliminated much of the motivation behind prison privatization. This article reviews the progression of prison privatization policy, through resurgence, growth, and stagnation, providing an illustrative case study in how the criminal justice policymaking apparatus operates and an opportunity to examine how theories of policymaking account for the process. The article begins by reviewing the theoretical approaches to the study of criminal justice policymaking. It examines the course of prison privatization policy from 1984 to 2000 and concludes with lessons learned and observations on the future of correctional privatization policy. Figures, references