The relative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of public and private prison and probation services

This review has has three key components: (1) A summary of the available evidence using a rapid evidence assessment (REA) methodology; (2) an economic analysis of available cost and benefit data comparing private provision with public provision; and (3) a review of reviews concerning the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of private provision in other key public service sectors.

The review concludes that while some evidence suggests private prison provision can be more cost effective than public provision, overall the insufficient and incomplete nature of the evidence makes it impossible to draw firm conclusions concerning relative cost effectiveness of private versus public prison provision. The report also concludes that there is too little evidence to draw conclusions on the relative effectiveness of public and private probation services.

Evidence

Study Author(s) Country Year Study Method Source
"Profits before people"? A systematic review of the health and safety impacts of privatising public utilities and industries in developed countries. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 61(10), 862-870. Egan, M., Petticrew, M., Ogilvie, D., Hamilton, V., & Drever, F. Various 2007 Systematic Review Link
2006-2007 Comprehensive Accountability Report. Research Report, Florida: Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. US 2008 Mixed methods Search
A Comparative Recidivism Analysis of Releasees from Private and Public Prisons. Crime & Delinquency, 45(1), 28-47. Lanza-Kaduce, L., Parker, K. F., & Thomas, C. W. US 1999 Secondary data analysis Link
A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing mortality rates of private for-profit and private not-for-profit hospitals. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 166(11), 1399-1406. Devereaux, P., Choi, P. T., Lacchetti, C., Weaver, B., Schunemann, H. J., Haines, T., et al. Various 2002 Systematic Review Link
Are Private Prisons More Cost-Effective Than Public Prisons? A Meta-Analysis of Evaluation Research Studies. Crime & Delinquency, 45(3), 358-371. Pratt, T. C., & Maahs, J. US 1999 Literature Review Link
Are We Better Off?: Comparing Private and Public Prisons in the United States. Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 11(2), 177-201. Austin, J., & Coventry, G. US 1999 Secondary data analysis Link
Benchmarking Tools: An Application to Juvenile Justice Facility Performance. The Prison Journal, 82(4), 423-439. Nyhan, R. C. US 2002 Cost analysis Link
Can public-private collaboration promote tuberculosis case detection among the poor and vulnerable? Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 84(9), 752-758. Malmborg, R., Mann, G., Thomson, R., & Squire, S. B. Various 2006 Literature Review Link
Comparative evaluation of privately-managed CCA prisons (South Central Correctional Center) and state-managed prototypical prisons (Northeast Correctional Center, Northwest Correctional Center). Research Report, Nashville, TN: Select Oversight Committee o Drowota, C. US 1995 Evaluation study Link
Comparing Private and Public Prison Services and Programs in Minnesota: Findings from Prisoner Interviews. Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 2(2). Greene, J. US 1999 Survey & secondary data analysis Link
Comparing the Quality of Confinement and Cost-Effectiveness of Public Versus Private Prisons: What We Know, Why We Do Not Know More, and Where to Go from Here. The Prison Journal, 83(3), 301-322. Perrone, D., & Pratt, T. C. Various 2003 Systematic Review Link
Competition in Corrections: Comparing Public and Private Sector Operations. Research Report, Alexandra, Virginia: The CNA Co. Nelson, J. US 2005 Cost analysis Link
Contracting for Imprisonment in the Federal Prison System: Cost and Performance of the Privately Operated Taft Correctional Institution. Research Report, Cambridge, MA: Abt Associates Inc. McDonald, D., & Carlson, K. US 2005 Cost analysis Link
Controlling Prison Costs in Wisconsin. Research Report, Thiensville, WI: Wisconsin Policy Research Institute. Mitchell, G. A. US 1996 Cost analysis Link
Corrections goes public (and private) in California. Federal Probation, 57(3), 3–8. Sechrest, D. K., & Shichor, D. US 1993 Survey Search
Correlates of Quality Educational Programs. Evaluation Review, 26(3), 272-300. Chester, D. R., Tracy, J. A., Earp, E., & Chauhan, R. US 2002 Evaluation study Link
Cost effectiveness comparisons of private versus public prisons in Louisiana: a comprehensive anallysis of Allen, Avoyelles, and Winn correctional centers. Research Report, Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University. Archambeault, W. G., & Deis, D. R. US 1996 Cost-effectiveness Analysis Link
Cost effectiveness comparisons of private versus public prisons in Louisiana: A comprehensive analysis of Allen, Avoyelles, and Winn Correctional Centers. Journal of the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Research Consortium, 4. Archambeault, W. G., & Deis, D. R. US 1997 Cost-effectiveness Analysis Link
Economic aspects of prison privatization: the Queensland experience. In D. Biles & J. Vernon (Eds.), Private Sector and Community Involvement in the Criminal Justice System, AIC Conference Proceedings. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. Brown, A. Australia 1994 Cost analysis Search
Emerging Issues on Privatized Prisons. National Council on Crime and Delinquency, Bureau of Justice Assistance. Austin, J., & Coventry, G. US 2001 Survey Link
Evaluation of the Taft Demonstration Project: Performance of a private-sector prison and the BOP. Research Report, Washington, DC: Federal Bureau of Prisons. Lappin, H. G., Kane, T. R., Saylor, W. G., Camp, S. D., & Daggett, D. M. US 2005 Mixed methods Link
Inmate Recidivism as a Measure of Private Prison Performance. Crime Delinquency, 54(3), 482-508. Spivak, A. L., & Sharp, S. F. US 2008 Secondary data analysis Link
Measuring prison performance: Government privatization and accountability. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Pr. Gaes, G. G., Camp, S. D., Nelson, J. B., & Saylor, W. G. US 2004 Various Link
Monitoring and Evaluation of Wolds Remand Prison and Comparisons with Public-sector Prisons, in Particular HMP Woodhill. Centre for Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Hull and the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge. Bottomley, A. K., James, A., & Liebling, A. US 1997 Qualitative: ethnography & interviews Link
Prison Privatization: Meta-Analysis of Cost Effectiveness and Quality of Confinement Indicators. Salt Lake City, UT: University of Utah. Lundahl, B., Kunz, C., Brownell, C., Harris, N., & Van Vleet, R. Various 2008 Literature Review Link
Private adult prisons: What do we really know and why don’t we know more? In D. Shichor & M. Gilbert (Eds.), Privatization in Criminal Justice: Past, Present and Future (pp. 283-298). Cincinnati, OH: Anderson Publishing Co. Camp, S. D., & Gaes, G. G. US 2000 Secondary data analysis Search
Private and Public Prisons: A Comparison of Costs, Programs and Facilities. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 33(3), 241-256. Sellers, M. P. US 1989 Cost analysis Link
Private and Public Prisons: Studies Comparing Operational Costs and/or Quality of Service. Review, Washington, DC: United States General Accounting Office. General Accounting Office US 1996 Cost analysis Link
Private Versus Public Placements. A study of recidivism among adjudicated juvenile offenders. Juvenile and Family Court Journal, 48(3), 33-41. Terry, W. C., Stolzenberg, L., & D'Alessio, S. J. US 1997 Secondary data analysis Link
Privatization: An International Review of Performance. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. Hodge, G. A. Various 2000 Search
Public crime, private punishment: prison privatization in Queensland. International Journal of Social Economics, 23(4/5/6), 391 - 408. Edwards, G. Australia 1996 Cost analysis Link
Public vs. Private Prison Management: A Case Comparison. Criminal Justice Review, 21(1), 62-85. Logan, C. H. US 1996 Survey & secondary data analysis Link
Quality of Operations at Private and Public Prisons: Using Trends in Inmate Misconduct to Compare Prisons. Research Report, Washington, DC: Office of Research and Evaluation, Federal Bureau of Prisons. Camp, S., & Daggett, D. US 2005 Survey Link
Quality of prison operations in the US federal sector: A comparison with a private prison. Punishment & Society, 4(1), 27-53. Camp, S. D., Gaes, G. G., & Saylor, W. G. US 2002 Survey Link
Recidivism: An Analysis of Public and Private State Prison Releases in Florida. Criminology & Public Policy, 4(1), 57-82. Bales, W. D., Bedard, L. E., Quinn, S. T., Ensley, D. T., & Holley, G. P. US 2005 Secondary data analysis Link
Recidivism: An Analysis of Public and Private State Prison Releases in Florida. Research Report, Florida: The Florida State University; The Florida Department of Corrections; The Correctional Privatization Commission. Bales, W. D., Bedard, L. E., Quinn, S. T., Ensley, D. T., Holley, G. P., Duffee, A., et al. US 2003 Secondary data analysis Link
Review of Bay Correctional Facility and Moore Haven Correctional Facility. Research Report, Florida: The Florida Legislature. Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability US 1998 Cost analysis Link
Review of Comparative Costs and Performance of Privately and Publicly Operated Prisons 1998-99. Research Report, London: Research, Development and Statistics Directorate, Home Office. Park, I. UK 2000 Cost analysis Link
South Bay Correctional Facility Provides Savings and Success; Room for Improvement. Research Report, Florida: The Florida Legislature. Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability US 2000 Cost analysis Link
Strategies for engaging the private sector in sexual and reproductive health: how effective are they? Health Policy and Planning, 19(Suppl. 1), 5-21. Peters, D. H., Mirchandani, G. G., & Hansen, P. M. Various 2004 Systematic Review Link
The Costs and Benefits of Sentencing: A Systematic Review. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 587(1), 160-177. McDougall, C., Cohen, M. A., Swaray, R., & Perry, A. Various 2003 Systematic Review Link
The effect of social franchising on access to and quality of health services in low- and middle-income countries. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (1). Koehlmoos, T. P., Gazi, R., Hossain, S. S., & Zaman, K. Various 2009 Systematic Review Link
The effectiveness of contracting-out primary health care services in developing countries: a review of the evidence. Health Policy and Planning, 23(1), 1-13. Liu, X., Hotchkiss, D. R., & Bose, S. Various 2008 Literature Review Link
The Effectiveness of Juvenile Correctional Facilities: Public versus Private Management. The Journal of Law and Economics, 48, 549-589. Bayer, P., & Pozen, D. E. US 2005 Secondary data analysis Link
The operational performance of PFI prisons. Forty-ninth Report of Session 2002–03. London: House of Commons. House of Commons, Committee of Public Accounts. UK 2003 Secondary data analysis Link
The Operational Performance of PFI Prisons. London: House of Commons. National Audit Office UK 2003 Mixed methods Link
The Search for the Frugal Grail: An Empirical Assessment of the Cost-Effectiveness of Public Versus Private Correctional Facilities. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 10(3), 447-471. Pratt, T. C., & Winston, M. R. US 1999 Secondary data analysis Link
The VisionQuest program: an evaluation. Evaluative/Feasibility, Santa Monica, CA: The Rand Corporation. Greenwood, P. W., & Turner, S. US 1987 Secondary data analysis Link
Two Decades of Research Comparing For-Profit and Nonprofit Health Provider Performance in the United States. Social Science Quarterly, 84(2), 219-241. Rosenau, P. V., & Linder, S. H. US 2003 Systematic Review Link
Using inmate survey data in assessing prison performance: A case study comparing private and public prisons. Criminal Justice Review, 27(1), 26-51. Camp, S. D., Gaes, G. G., Klein-Saffran, J., Daggett, D. M., & Saylor, W. G. US 2002 Survey Link
Value for Money from NSW Correctional Centres. Research Report, Sydney: New South Wales Parliament. New South Wales Parliament, Public Accounts Committee Australia 2005 Cost analysis Link
Well Kept: Comparing Quality of Confinement in Private and Public Prisons. The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 83(3), 577-613. Logan, C. H. US 1992 Secondary data analysis Link
What evidence is there about the effects of health care reforms on gender equity, particularly in health? Evidence Report, Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe. Östlin, P. Various 2005 Systematic Review Link

Analysis - 53 studies

If possible, create a .

Age of Study

Over 10 years - 25.00 (47.2 %) 6-10 years - 22.00 (41.5 %) 3-5 years - 6.00 (11.3 %)

Country of Origin

Australia - 3.00 (5.7 %) UK - 3.00 (5.7 %) US - 36.00 (67.9 %) Various - 11.00 (20.8 %)

Study Method

Survey & secondary data analysis - 2.00 (3.8 %) Evaluation study - 2.00 (3.8 %) Cost-effectiveness Analysis - 2.00 (3.8 %) Unknown - 1.00 (1.9 %) Qualitative: ethnography & interviews - 1.00 (1.9 %) Various - 1.00 (1.9 %) Systematic Review - 8.00 (15.1 %) Secondary data analysis - 12.00 (22.6 %) Cost analysis - 12.00 (22.6 %) Mixed methods - 3.00 (5.7 %) Literature Review - 4.00 (7.5 %) Survey - 5.00 (9.4 %)

Top of page  |  Browse all projects...

08 February 2012 17:57 • Matrix Evidence Web Archive v2012.3005