RECIDIVISM OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE STATE PRISON INMATES IN FLORIDA: ISSUES AND UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

RECIDIVISM OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PRISON

An Article Critique of Recidivism of Public and Private State Prison Inmates in Florida

[Name]

[University]

Date] A research was conducted by Bales et al . who concluded that their study found no significant differences in recidivism between offenders after their release from publicly and privately managed prisons in Florida It also concluded 1 ) that the argument of the opponents of privatization that the full-scale privatization of jails and prisons is a failure lacks basis and support and 2 ) that the claims of the

proponents of privatization that it would bring about major cost savings and substantial improvements in the quality of service is also unsubstantiated (Charles w . Thomas ,

.89

Initially , Charles W . Thomas commends the Bales et al . study for their contribution in modestly advancing ' the public 's understanding of the impact of privatization on the United States correctional system . While Thomas commends the effort undertaken by Bales et al , he however warns against making generalizations about the differences between private and publicly-funded prisons based on inexact and imprecise methods

Specifically , Thomas argues that it is insufficient to compare both public and private prisons as if they are two opposing entities . Thomas argues that when the government asks the private agencies to handle management of correctional facilities and services part of the contractual undertaking of private management firms is to discharge their responsibility in the same way as the government agencies in traditional correctional facilities

Secondly , while recidivism rate is an important issue...