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Private Prisons Don’t Make Better Prisoners
Loaded on Dec. 15, 2009
by Andrew L. Spivak
published in Prison Legal News
December, 2009, page 11
by Prof. Andrew L. Spivak
Filed under:
Private Prisons,
Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic,
Statistics/Trends,
Rehabilitation/Recidivism.
Locations:
Florida,
Oklahoma.
The incarceration rate, which from the 1920s to the early 1970s hovered between about 100 to 120 state and federal prisoners per 100,000 Americans, has risen nearly fourfold. While the rate of increase has slowed substantially in recent years, the raw numbers continue to climb …
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More from this issue:
- Improbable Private Prison Scam Plays Out in Hardin, Montana, by Alex Friedmann
- Behind Montana Jail Fiasco: How Private Prison Developers Prey on Desperate Towns, by Justin Elliott
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Private Prisons Don’t Make Better Prisoners, by Andrew L. Spivak
- Miami Sex Offenders Still Living Under Bridge; Lawsuits Fail to Solve Problem, by David Reutter
- Arizona Jail’s Medical Failures Due to Inadequate Record Keeping, Understaffing, by Matthew Clarke
- HABEAS HINTS – CALIFORNIA COMMENT Pace and Bonner: Avoiding and Fighting “Untimeliness” Rulings Under California Law, by Kent A. Russell
- Secret Red Cross Report Reveals Medical Personnel Collusion in CIA Torture, by Matthew Clarke
- GPS Used to Track Sex Offenders in Washington State, by Matthew Clarke
- Florida Law Enforcement Officials on the Wrong Side of the Law, by David Reutter
- Increasing Number of Prisoners Obtain Access to Email, by Brandon Sample
- Rape Victim and Family of Exonerated Man Who Died in Prison Become Activists, by Matthew Clarke
- LULAC Returns CCA Donation, by Matthew Clarke
- Pennsylvania Prison Porn Ban Improperly Promulgated, but Not Unconstitutional
- New Jersey DOC Report: Megan’s Law Costly and Ineffective, by Matthew Clarke
- Electronic Court Records Permissible in Florida, but Restricting Disclosure is Not
- $100 Million Settlement in Michigan Prisoners’ Sexual Abuse Suit, by David Reutter
- $2.7 Million Settlement for Oklahoma Double Leg Amputee Jail Prisoner
- $750,000 Settlement in Chicago Jail Mass Beating Suit
- Violence Against Blacks Decreases In The U.S., by Gary Hunter
- Oklahoma Lawmen Charged with Sundry Crimes, by Mark Wilson
- Prison, Jail and Law Enforcement Corruption Continues in Georgia, by David Reutter
- Catholic Mass and Sacraments Made Available to Louisiana’s Death Row
- Nearly 15,000 California Prisoners Held in Long-term Isolation, by Michael Brodheim
- PLN Associate Editor Attends ACA Conference
- $2.2 Million Settlement: Murder by Washington State Community Service Releasee
- Mental Illness Prevalent Among County Jail Prisoners, Especially Women, by Gary Hunter
- Michigan’s Prison Industries Mismanaged and Unprofitable, by David Reutter
- AMA Study Finds Link Between Confinement and Hypertension
- Judges: Umpires They Are Not, by Brandon Sample
- Class Action Alleging Unconstitutional Michigan Indigent Defense System Survives Summary Judgment
- Massachusetts Man’s Estate Resolves Wrongful Conviction Suit for $14.1 Million, by David Reutter
- $91,059.83 in Damages, Fees and Costs Awarded to Alabama Prisoner Beaten by Guard
- Former Alabama Judge Acquitted of Paddling, Sexually Abusing Jail Prisoners, by Mark Wilson
- $16.5 Million-Plus Settlement in Oklahoma City False Conviction Case, by Matthew Clarke
- Ohio Prison Employees Involved in Improper Relationships, Drug Smuggling, Sexual Misconduct, by Mark Wilson
- Eight More Prison Closures in Michigan
- California Struggles to House Sex Offenders, by Michael Brodheim
- 4,000 Kenyan Death Sentences Commuted to Life, by Matthew Clarke
- $150,000 Settlement in Tennessee Jail Beating
- News in Brief:
- Federal Prison Employees Convicted of Stealing Prisoners’ Meds, by Gary Hunter
More from Andrew L. Spivak:
- Private Prisons Don’t Make Better Prisoners, Dec. 15, 2009
More from these topics:
- “Safe Inside” Review Paid for by DOJ Found Prisons Grew Much Deadlier in Five Year-Period, Aug. 1, 2026. Work Conditions/Safety, Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Staffing, Assaults on Staff.
- Three Detainees Die in Four Days at the Tarrant County Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Wrongful Death, Compassionate Release.
- Prison Policy Initiative Updates Its “Money of Mass Incarceration” Report, Aug. 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Forfeiture, Effects of Mass Incarceration, Ability to Pay.
- Overtime Cuts Lead to Reduced Programming in California Prisons, Aug. 1, 2026. Cost of Prison Systems, Education, Rehabilitation/Recidivism.
- Free Phone Calls Saved Prisoners and Their Families More than $600 Million, Report Finds, July 1, 2026. Conditions of Confinement, PLRA, Prisoner Privileges, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Telephones.
- California Gave Every Student in Prison a Laptop. How Community Colleges Are Using Them, July 1, 2026. Education, Computers, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, Access to Computers.
- $3.25 Million Verdict in New York Against Jail Medical Profiteer Armor Health, July 1, 2026. Private Prisons, Misconduct/Corruption, Medical, Conditions of Confinement, Civil Rights Actions or Offenses/Bivens Actions.
- Video Shows Guards Watched as Oklahoma Detainee Died in Cell, July 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Contractor Misconduct, Guard Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death).
- After Spoliation Sanction, CoreCivic Settles Suit Over Suicide in New Mexico ICE Lockup, July 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Discovery, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Detainee Deaths Went Unreported at Dallas County Jail, July 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Databases, Public Records.

