Lecture 9: Privatizing Government II: Prisons and the Military

TL;DR

Privatization of core government functions, including prisons and the military, has become a powerful and controversial trend, raising concerns about accountability and the treatment of individuals.

Transcript

• Today we're going to continue talking about Privitization of core government functions. And our central focus is going to be on prisons and the military. I'm gonna start just by revisiting the basic outlook of privatizing government that became so powerful in the early post-Cold War years. We'll then focus first on privatizing the military in gen... Read More

Key Insights

• ☠️ The private sector prison industry has grown significantly, despite a decrease in violent crime rates.
• 💯 Principal-agent problems and monitoring difficulties are common in the privatization of core government functions.
• 🖤 Lobbying and lack of rehabilitation efforts in private sector prisons are concerns.

Questions & Answers

Q: What were the main factors driving the privatization of the military and prisons?

The belief in small government and cost savings, as well as the desire to fight unpopular wars without risking political backlash.

Q: Why is there a racial disparity in the prison population?

The war on drugs and harsh sentencing policies have disproportionately targeted minorities, leading to higher incarceration rates.

Q: What are some concerns regarding private sector prisons?

Lack of accountability, lobbying for stricter sentencing policies, lack of rehabilitation efforts, difficulty in monitoring and ensuring proper treatment of inmates.

Q: How has the private sector prison industry grown, despite a decrease in violent crime rates?

Private prisons have benefited from lobbying and contracts with the government, as well as the demand for more prison space due to policies such as tougher sentencing and enforcement of immigration laws.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Privatizing the military and prisons became a popular idea in the post-Cold War era, driven by the belief in small government and cost savings.

• The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with a significant racial disparity in the prison population.

• Private sector prisons have seen an increase in population, despite the overall decrease in violent crime rates.

• The private prison industry is dominated by a few companies and has faced criticism for lobbying, lack of rehabilitation efforts, and problematic monitoring.