The correctional-commercial complex [electronic resource] : an examination of privatization of the US prison system /

by Maruono, Atsuko.

The Correctional-Commercial Complex: An Examination of Privatization of the US Prison System Atsuko Maruono This thesis analyses current spatial trends in the U.S. prison system, with a focus on the process of prison privatization. This study reviews the literature on trends in the US prison system, and maps the spatial distribution of public prisons, private prisons, and the trend to prison privatization. In addition, a case study of prison privatization in Texas is conducted. U.S. penal policy makers explain the need for privately run correctional facilities as a response to the “crisis” of the prison system, in particular the impact of overcrowding. However, the research results indicate that the location of private prisons have a distinct geographical pattern that differs from that of public prisons and prison overcrowding. The underlying economic, social, and political factors that contributed to this spatial trend in prison privatization are examined. This study sheds light on a new trend, the transfer of inmates between states, that emerged from the process of prison privatization. ii