Criminology

The essay is mainly focused on the merits and demerits of privatizing the prison system of the United States. The demerits of privatizing the correctional facilities have first been discussed clearly indicating that the management of prisons should remain in the hands of the public sector. The merits of privatization have also been discussed and they indicate reasons why prison management should be privatized. The essay also briefly discusses the challenges that are likely to be faced as a result of privatizing the American prisons.

Introduction
The management of prison facilities in the United States has for several years remained in the hands of the public sector. However, in the recent past, there has been a heated debate throughout the country calling for the privatization of the prison system in the country. Just like any other major issue in the country, prison privatization has witnessed both supporters as well as opponents. There are certain evident benefits that the US as a nation is likely to experience as a result of privatizing the prisons system of the country. However, there are also eminent demerits that will arise from the privatization of the American prison system. The policy makers of the US are therefore faced with a major task of making an informed decision of whether to privatize the prison system or not. In doing so, they will have to weigh the merits and demerits of both options before making their recommendations (Bender, 1991).

Arguments against privatization of prisons
The correctional facilities of the United States play a major role in the countrys criminal justice system. They deter criminals from violating the laws of the land, the inmates are rehabilitated so that they can become better American citizens once they are out of the prisons and they also help in keeping neighborhoods much safer. Clearly, these are roles whose importance in the American society is so great that they cannot be left in the hands of the private sector. The American citizens pay taxes to their government so that they can be protected from criminals who are likely to injure them as they break the law. It is not in order for the American government to in turn delegate these crucial roles to the private sector. If serious errors are to occur in the privatized prisons, the citizens are supposed to make their government accountable, but if the government has delegated such a sensitive role, accountability would be quite hard to determine (James, 1997).

The private sector while conducting its affairs is largely guided by the objectives of maximizing profits and wealth. These objectives differ significantly with the ones that are required in the management of sensitive areas such as the prisons. It is only the American government through its security agencies and departments that has the capacity of implementing and pursuing the objectives that are desired in the prison system of the country. Leaving the correctional facilities under the management of the private sector may prove fatal especially if such management opts to pursue the objectives of wealth and private maximization as opposed to deterrence and rehabilitation of inmates who have put behind bars for various offences (Yarrow  Jasinski, 1996).

Just like other American citizens, the prisoners too have human rights which should be protected by the American government at all times. The current state of the management of the prison system in the country offers the American government a great opportunity of ensuring that all the prisoners enjoy all their human rights and instances of human rights violations are avoided as much as possible. If the prison system of the country is privatized, there are high chances of the American government failing to aggressively ensure that all the human rights of the prisoners are well safeguarded. America as a nation was founded on the principles of human rights and freedom for each and  every American citizen, irrespective of whether they are inmates or not. Therefore, if the American government takes measures that are likely to put in jeopardy the rights of one or more segments of its population, it will have gone against the principles against which it was founded. The privatization of prisons should therefore not take place since it is very important for the American inmates to continue enjoying their human rights and freedoms as guaranteed by the constitution of the country (Logan, 1990).

Currently, the American prison system is managed by the public sector. It is therefore possible for the public through the civil society and non governmental organizations to closely scrutinize these facilities. By constantly monitoring the activities taking place in the countrys correctional facilities, the American government as well as the prison management is constantly under pressure to ensure that they do not go against the roles they are supposed to play while managing these facilities. This increases accountability, transparency and integrity on the part of both the government and the prison management. However, such monitoring is possible because the prison system of the country is under public management and thus the Americans have a say in whatever goes on in these facilities. Such would not be possible if the prison system is privatized. Privatized prisons are not open to public scrutiny thus leaving major loopholes which can be used negatively not only to the American inmates serving sentences in the correctional facilities, but indeed to the entire criminal justice system of the country. Significant violations are likely to take place and go unnoticed for extended periods of time if there is no public scrutiny. The American prison system should thus not be privatized so as to keep the public scrutiny doors wide open and thus discourage any malpractices that are likely to take place in the absence of such scrutiny (Bender, 1991).

Arguments for privatization of prisons
Privatization of prison systems in the US is a highly welcomed move which is expected to change the manner in which the correctional facilities of the nation are managed. Management of these facilities by the public sector for several years has brought about increased instances of inefficiency and ineffectiveness. As a result, the main objectives of these facilities have not been achieved. The private sector is known to manage organizations better than the government. If the correctional facilities in America are privatized, the private sector are likely to add much value in these facilities by reducing inefficiencies and ineffectiveness that have been witnessed by managing these facilities through the public sector. If the American government is serious in reforming the correctional facilities in the country, it should seriously consider privatizing them (James, 1997).

The correctional facilities spends significant amounts of money every year, however the public sector does not have the capacity of managing these financial resources in an efficient manner. Through privatization of these facilities, the costs that are involved in running prisons is likely to reduce dramatically and thus save the taxes spent in running these facilities and use them in other sectors. The current prison system under public sector management is associated with high levels of bureaucracy which negatively impact the services offered by correctional facilities. The high quality management skills possessed by the private sector have the capacity of streamlining management processes and make them much better. Privatizing the prison system of the country is thus a major way through which the management of the countrys correctional facilities can be achieved (Logan, 1990).

The US as a good example of a nation that applies modern economies should not monopolize each and every other service to the American people. The private sector has in the past proved highly capable means in managing several public sectors such as education, sanitation, health and water utilities. Therefore, the question that the private sector is likely to mismanage the correctional facilities should not arise since they will manage them in the same manner they have managed other public sectors and achieved great success. The American prison system should thus be privatized in order to decrease government domination in various sectors of the economy (Bender, 1991).

Both the private the public sectors are likely to face some challenges in the privatization of American prison system. There needs to be a very clear framework through which the privatization process should take place. If privatization is to take place, the public management of the correctional has to hand over the powers it has to the private sector mandated to manage the facilities. At the same time, the public sector has to ensure that it grants the right powers to the private sector and creates a system of checks and balances in order to minimize instances of abuse of such powers. On its part, the private sector does not only have the duty of proving that it is equal to the task, but also have to ensure that it operates within the law and any necessary amendments to be proposed to the policymakers for consideration (James, 1997).

Conclusion
Privatization of American prison system is a highly delicate and sensitive issue that should be well considered. The American policymakers should first look at the merits and demerits discussed above before concluding whether the correctional facilities should be privatized or not. If privatization is to take place, all the demerits associated with privatization should thoroughly be looked into in order to address them as much as possible. On the other hand, if the management of the correctional facilities is to remain in the hands of the public sector, all the factors that have led to the calling of privatization should be addressed.