ABSTRACT

This paper places the contemporary debate over privatization of corrections in historical perspective. In so doing, it shows that the debate ignores a central function of privatization, which is its potential to expand the state's capacity to punish. I demonstrate this in a three-part analysis. Part I traces the recent growth of privatization, examines the current debate over the relative efficiencies of private and public corrections, and then argues that this debate is misdirected. Part II develops this thesis by examining the consequences of earlier efforts at private penal administration. Part III assesses the implications of the current privatization movement in light of the lessons of history.