The Public-Private Prison Debate

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California is suffering from a crisis in the prison system. Its facilities are operating at double capacity and " grossly deficient medical care" is the cause of at least one inmate death per week (Wood, 2008, para. 2). Because of this need for reform, the federal government is stepping in to direct the state prison’s operating procedure. Although the financial choices of each state should be free from federal control, the federal government is still known to put pressure on states to make decisions, especially when lawsuits arise. An example of federal legislation commanding state behavior is busing. The states felt that they should have the autonomy to decide whether racial integration was right for them. The federal government, however, decided in Brown v Board of Education that segregation was unconstitutional, and thus the state governments were forced to comply. In a federal system of government, each level holds its own powers, but one must prevail in cases of disagreement. In America, the federal sector is the "supreme Law of the Land" (U.S. Constitution). For this reason, although California suffers from a $16 billion budget deficit, the federal pressures have forced yet another $7 billion in spending to ensure "upgraded healthcare facilities for prison inmates" (Wood, 2008, para. 1). The National Association of State Budget Officers expenditure report from the fiscal year 2009 states that 5% of state spending, about $48 billion annually, supports corrections (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2011). The federal government is spending 1.8% of our tax dollars on prisons (Frugal Dad, 2011), which amounts to about $45 billion (Williams, 2009). So, it seems that the states and federal government are sharing the burde... ... middle of paper ... ...://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/08/22/20100822arizona-private-prisons.html Oppel, R.A. Jr. (2011, May 18). Private Prisons Found to Offer Little in Savings. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/us/19prisons.html Williams, R. (2009, April 22). The Numbers: What are the federal government's sources of revenue? Tax Policy Center. Retrieved from http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/background/numbers/revenue.cfm Wood, D.B. (2008, April 22). California pays rising price for prison growth. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved from http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2008/0422/p03s03-usju.html U.S. Constitution, Art. 6, cl. 2. Zito, M. (2003, December 8). Prison Privatization: Past and Present. International Foundation for Protection Officers. Retrieved from http://www.ifpo.org/articlebank/prison_privatization.html

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