Law Commons^™

If You've Got The Money, I'Ve Got The Time: The Benefits Of Incentive Contracts With Private Prisons, Michael G. Anderson

Buffalo Public Interest Law Journal

Governments increasingly rely on private prison companies to manage the daunting demands associated with their ever- increasing prison populations. The private prison industry provides governments at all levels (federal, state, and local) with an alternative to the costly and time-consuming construction of additional public facilities. Governments, however, have all too often adopted a flawed pricing strategy, paying private prison companies fixed per diem rates to house prisoners. This model both incentivized and tolerated poor conditions with greater emphasis placed on the industry's bottom line than benefits to the state, the prison population, or society as a whole.

This article asserts …