Surprise, Republicans Lied to Us: Private Prisons Don't Save Money

[marmar]

from AlterNet:




Surprise, Republicans Lied to Us: Private Prisons Don't Save Money


In recent months, a number of Republican state leaders have pushed efforts to privatize prisons in the name of saving money for their states. There are already plenty of reasons to be wary of privatized prisons -- for instance, they create financial incentives to keep people behind bars. And now we have solid evidence, via the New York Times, that the fiscal argument for privatizing prisons is bunk:

Despite a state law stipulating that private prisons must create “cost savings,” (Arizona's) own data indicate that inmates in private prisons can cost as much as $1,600 more per year, while many cost about the same as they do in state-run prisons.

The research, by the Arizona Department of Corrections, also reveals a murky aspect of private prisons that helps them appear less expensive: They often house only relatively healthy inmates.

“It’s cherry-picking,” said State Representative Chad Campbell, leader of the House Democrats. “They leave the most expensive prisoners with taxpayers and take the easy prisoners.”

Indeed, "five of eight private prisons serving Arizona did not accept inmates with 'limited physical capacity and stamina' or severe physical illness or chronic conditions," the report found.

Although there is already a large amount of competing data on the purported savings of privatized prisons, the Times notes that the Arizona study is significant because the state " is one of the few — if not only — places to measure...so rigorously" the cost outcomes of private prisons. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/593506/surprise%2C_republicans_lied_to_us%3A_private_prisons_don%27t_save_money/

[ananda]

1. Private prisons are designed to make money...

... for Reep cronies.

[craigmatic]

2. Privatization never does save money. When profit is concerned, something improtant is always left

out or not done correctly.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

5. aka: vigorish

[kenfrequed]

6. exactly

There is no mystical Randian corrupt waste in most of these systems. When a public system becomes privatized, whatever it may be, there will be a loss in service or an increase in rate. And those losses and price hikes will increase every year at a rate in excess of the rate of inflation to create increasing profits. The corporate model demands this and will accept nothing less.

Someone needs to hammer this into the heads of the privatizers.

[Avant Guardian]

3. Efficiency is impossible with a profit motive

[Pharaoh]

4. I'm shocked!

Prisons for profit are more costly than Gov run ones! who'd a thunk?

[iscooterliberally]

7. Private prisons should be illegal.

We already have more people behind bars than any other country, or so I have read. This just can't reconcile with our claim of being the 'land of the free'. I guess our national anthem is a lie?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/americas/23iht-23prison.12253738.html

:grr:

[Mojeoux]

13. Especially when corrupt Judges take Kickbacks !!!!!

:kick: :grr:

:nuke:

[abelenkpe]

8. Privatizing fire. police and education aren't gonna save money either

does anybody in the media ever bring this up? Ever?

Privatization doesn't save money, it just funnels it to cronies and makes workers jobs less secure. And privatized services are still funded by taxpayer dollars.

[Uncle Joe]

9. Logic dictates that for profits prisons; to save the public money to be a highly improbable if

not impossible task.

Their prime directive is to make money, which is directly at odds of any state goal of trying to save money and that's only one major objection to a for profit prison existence, their inherent interests are also against the idea of a free republic.

Simply put, the more prisoners aka; customers, the more profit, thus a most draconian, oppressive society would be ideal for them, they could rake in the big bucks and have plenty of money to bribe/lobby politicians with.

Thanks for the thread, marmar.

[jwirr]

10. I predict that nothing private will be cheaper. For profit is the reason

they want privatization in the first place.

[Hannah Bell]

11. privatization of government functions is designed to suck up tax money, period.

it's a steady stream of safe money.

quasi-monopoly, little-affected by market trends.

it's one of the historic ways the rich get rich; using state power to collect income for them.

the analogy would be e.g. when the state used to grant lords the right to collect taxes & in-kind payments within a certain jurisdiction, i.e. a fief. or when the state used to grant charters to certain parties to monopolize certain kinds of business in specified areas, i.e. the east india company.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

12. I Knew They Sucked As Soon As Kasich Started Fighting For Them

Without knowing the first thing about them, right then and there, I knew they had to be nothing more than ways to funnel money to the rich. How do I know this? Because Kasich wouldn't cross the street unless it benefitted the rich in some way.

[slay]

14. Private prisons must be outlawed. Profiting off someone being locked up only provides motive

for them to lock up as many of us as possible. we already have more people in prison percentage wise than any other place on the fucking planet! this private prison bullshit MUST be stopped.