In practice, it doesn't seem to make much difference:

> Propensity score matching and regression analyses of the National Inmate Survey are used to examine individuals’ experiences and perceptions of environmental quality in public versus private prisons across key domains of prison life, with an emphasis on needs, behaviors, victimization, and attitudes. No differences are identified for women. Males in private prisons are more likely than men in public prisons to perceive there to be inadequate staffing and are less likely to report maintaining ties with people outside of prison. Men in private prisons are also less likely to report crowding to be an issue.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361439680_Private_V....

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brenschluss 12 hours ago | parent | next [-]

We should zoom out in perspective. The question is not “is the experience in for-profit prisons better for incarcerated people”.

It is “for-profit prisons create a system with a financial incentive to increase the number of incarcerated people”.

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jazzyjackson 10 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Tax funded prisons also have unions that vote for expanding prisons. The distinction doesn’t make much of a difference.

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pirate787 12 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

For-profit is the delivery system, which should save taxpayer money. Systems where the institutions are directly administered by taxpayer funds and their attendant public employee unions also have political/financial incentives.

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xp84 12 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I'm inclined to believe that.

Either way - publicly-run or private contractor, if the government is a good steward of public funds, they'll monitor well to avoid waste and remove people who are trying to unjustly enrich themselves. And if the officials are incompetent or corrupt themselves, they'll fail to recognize when those things are happen, or participate themselves. I don't see a big difference in public vs. private unless I imagine a fantasy government run only by officials who are smart and highly ethical.

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chaps 11 hours ago | parent [-]

Should private prisons have their own private prison guards that use paintball guns filled with pepper spray?

Should private prisons be FOIA'able just like public prisons?

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dgellow 10 hours ago | parent [-]

They should not exist, as simple as that

	▲	chaps 10 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Agreed. There's a lot of work to get us there.

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bjourne 11 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Exactly why would one or more middle men trying to extract profit save taxpayer money? What's your evidence?

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cucumber3732842 11 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Because the state prisons are trying to cut costs and/or profit the same way the private ones are. They just tend to invest in waste and expansion rather than pay $$ to owners/investors.

The whole thing is rotten. Changing the ownership of the mess doesn't make it not rotten.