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Public opinion and correctional privatization
Author(s) -
Frost Natasha A.,
Trapassi Jessica,
Heinz Steven
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
criminology and public policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.6
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1745-9133
pISSN - 1538-6473
DOI - 10.1111/1745-9133.12441
Subject(s) - public opinion , prison , perception , government (linguistics) , public relations , context (archaeology) , political science , public policy , public administration , politics , law , psychology , paleontology , linguistics , philosophy , neuroscience , biology
Research Summary Slightly more than half of all states and the federal government currently have contracted with private prison corporations for the incarceration of some of their correctional populations. We use the literature on privatization of prisons to argue that we know surprisingly little about the public's perception of this phenomenon. We summarize what is known from the thin body of research into public opinion in the correctional domain, and then we argue for an expanded research agenda to develop a more extensive (and nuanced) understanding of public perceptions in this context. Policy Implications Private correctional facilities run by for‐profit companies, and the privatization of correctional services beyond institutions, have proliferated despite little knowledge regarding public support for the expansion of privatization in the correctional domain. Given that public opinion, or at least perceptions of those opinions, can directly or indirectly influence policy, we argue that expanding our knowledge of the nature, direction, and malleability of public opinion has substantial policy implications for the future of prison privatization.