Looks like the drive toward privatization is moving to other ancillary matters of prisons, such as healthcare for prisons. I think severing the connection between the public and the prison is a bad, bad thing. We’ve already discussed why it’s not a good thing to give the task of incarcerating prisoners to private companies interested in making a profit. But, I think there’s something deeper. There’s a connection that needs to remain with the public and with the public interest. People need to have a connection to prisons and what goes on in them. Once that connection dies down, it’s even easier for citizens to simply “forget” about what goes on in our jails and prisons.
From the article: “Under terms of its contract, Corizon must offer comprehensive care to Florida’s inmate population for 7 percent less than it cost the state in 2010. Health care costs have increased steadily since then.”
That’s the upside. The downside is that the company has come under fire for allegedly inhumane practices.
Then again, proponents of privatization have stated that the reality is that state-run prison medical services can also subject inmates to inhumane care – even when not inhumane, mistakes and negligence are going to happen in any healthcare system. The goal is simply to limit the number of inmates affected and to limit the negative effects of any poor medical decisions.
Read more on FL here.
Incarceration 