Criminal justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Criminal justice - Essay Example It has often been confused that correctional facilities are intended to punish perpetrators of law. That said, the prison system plays a major role in removing criminals from the street thereby creating a safer haven for its citizens while providing opportunities for criminals to understand their offenses and change for the better. The rate of imprisonment in the United States has been on the increase in recent times and this has raised concern among public administrators and citizens in general. The prison administrators primarily are alarmed that in the near future the prisons may be insufficient to hold inmates convicted of felonies. Claims that the correctional facilities are not given enough attention as they ought to given their importance in ensuring security of its citizenry has lead to the recent debate on whether or not correctional facilities should be privatized or remain in the hands of federal and state government. Of course, each opposing side has reasons why they think things should be as they propose. Therefore, what are the pros and cons of privatization of correctional facilities specifically jails in the United States. The jail system is best left in the hands of the public because there are many aspects that would be negatively imparted if jails were privatized, for example employment. This is because underlying privatization of any state owned corporation is the issue of cost reduction. Therefore, in the arms of private companies, profit margins take precedence, meaning that most prison guards and staff would be laid off and the few left to work twice as hard in order that expenses are reduced. Moreover, the urge to cut corners in vital activities like recruiting staff, training and compensation among prison workers among others is high probability. The outcome increased rate of unemployment and by extension higher crime rate. In addition, privatized companies are notorious for bending standards of requirement. Employing of under