A private prison is a prison run by a private company instead of the government. The government hires the private prison company to perform all the services needed to keep the convicts locked up while they serve out their sentences.
In the twenty-first century, many industries that were government-run before have become more privatized.[1]
The countries that have private prisons are Australia, Brazil, Chile, Greece, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, United States and the United Kingdom. Private prisons are only common in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.[2]
Israel used to have private prisons, until the Israeli Supreme Court, declared them illegal (against the law) in 2005. Canada also used to have private prisons, but due to widespread protests against them, the last private prison went to government control in 2006.
Reasons why some governments allow private prisons are:
- It may save money.
- Private prisons may come up with new ideas on how to run prisons better.
- If a prison is poorly run, someone new can run it.
However, many people do not like the idea of private prisons. The main reasons for this are:
- The company may spend less on caring for the prisons so they can keep more money for themselves.
- Companies end up making money if more people go to prison.
- Some people think that (like the police), prisons should only be run by the government.
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