The Department of Justice today announced it will phase out its contracts with private prisons, calling the prisons unsafe, expensive, and ineffective in reducing recidivism.
About 22,000 of 193,000 federal prisoners are held in such facilities, adding up to 11 percent of the population. Though meaningful as a gesture of the government’s commitment to reducing the number of people in prison, the move will have limited impact on the 2.2 million people in federal and state custody. The decision also leaves important open-ended questions about potential unintended consequences.
While any reduction in the federal prison population will be welcomed by those released, their families, and by reform advocates, the majority of inmates reside in state or county facilities. Only one in eight federal inmates was in a private facility in 2015. Consistent review of and changes to federal and state sentencing guidelines, more humane pre-trial bargaining by prosecutors of low-level offenders, increased used of probation instead of jail time, and a more judicious application of bail practices would do far more to reduce the incarcerated population. Those actions would also mean real strides toward a less punitive penal system.
[For more of this story, written by Juleyka Lantigua-Williams, go to http://www.theatlantic.com/pol...l-government/496469/]
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