The Effects of Private-Prison Management on Observed Rates of Recidivism: A Meta-Analysis of Existing Research

Abstract

This thesis examines evolving trends within public administration which have spurred the rise of privatized services in areas of governance traditionally provided by governments. One such area of governance in the United States has been the nation’s criminal justice system, specifically, the privatization of correctional facilities. Given what many would argue is an axiomatically different, profit-maximizing, goal-orientation among private sector actors from their public counterparts, many are questioning what impacts this could have on the dispersal of services within prisons, and specifically, the observed rates of recidivism once inmates are brought back into life outside of the institution. In assessing this development, the fields of New Public Management, Alternative Service Delivery, and Public-Private Partnerships are considered. The paper then conducts an historical review on the use, and prevalence, of privatized correctional facilities in the United States, including considerations of economic and academic debates. In assessing the academic debates, it is found that research on the use of private prisons and their relationship to recidivism rates have provided mixed results. It is also illustrated that the studies employ a variety of methodological differences. This paper seeks to understand whether the methodological differences between the studies have impacted the outcomes of the studies’ results. This is realized through a meta-analysis of existing studies in the field using statistical tools. In concluding, measurement and methodological considerations are found to have impacts on the results of the researchers’ studies.