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Private Prisons Pros And Cons Essay

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Private Prisons: Their Pros and Cons

At one time, all prisons were public, but the system has started to make a transition to a new age, where private prisons began to emerge and eventually changed the system as a whole.

Private and public prisons are not one in the same. The former are for-profit businesses where, like the latter, convicted criminals are also confined. They are contracted by the government with the aim to alleviate the strain and congestion that is experienced by federal prison systems. In the US, the number of private prisons is continuously increasing at such a rate that it started to raise some eyebrows. What benefits are gained from these institutions and what is being sacrificed? This topic is increasingly causing a controversy and sparking debate among opposite sides. To gain a good perspective about this, let us …show more content…

More Focus on Profits

Prisons are responsible of providing care to and protecting human lives. While the residents in these institutions have committed crime, they still deserve to be treated ethically. But when money is brought into the situation, it turns these services into profit. Then, cost cutting will become an inevitable part of a business, and sacrifices will be made to the prisoners’ well-being in order to save some extra dollars.

2. Issue of Transparency
Public prison systems are designed to be transparent, which means that the government is straightforward with every operation that goes on in these institutions. On the other hand, transparency is something that could eventually become an issue in private prisons. Since they are privately owned, they are not held to the testaments of transparency like that of government agencies. This issue is highly important to tackle as all staff members within a prison should be required to observe high ethical standards. Ethically treating prisoners will be hindered if transparency is not maintained.

3. Not in the Best Interest of

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