Public crime, private punishment: prison privatization in Queensland

Queensland’s first private prison became operational in January 1990 under contract to Corrections Corporation of Australia. The major reason for privatization was to attempt to reduce alleged public sector bureaucratic complexities and to increase the efficiency of the delivery of corrective services. Compares two Queensland prisons of similar security status (one public, one private) in terms of the nature of the inmate population in an attempt to determine whether either has a cost advantage. Compares actual cost data and suggests reasons for the apparent differences.