Private prisons are less safe and secure than Federal prisons, according to a new report by the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General.
As The Washington Post reports, the study is part of a growing movement to remove profit motives from the penitentiary equation. The Justice Department found that, “Contract prisons incurred more safety and security incidents per capita than comparable (Bureau of Prisons) institutions.”
The Inspector General’s office released its study after poring over data in several key areas. These included contraband, incident reports, lockdowns, inmate discipline, telephone monitoring, grievances, drug testing and sexual misconduct. Private prisons scored more poorly in every area except positive drug tests and sexual misconduct.
Private facilities hold 12 percent of the Bureau of Prison’s population.