Currently, private prisons hold almost 126,000 state and federal inmates (Costello, 2018). Orders that were given during Obama’s rule with an objective of ruling out the utilization of private prisons have currently been reversed under the current regime thus causing numerous debates regarding the effectiveness of private prisons over public jails. Predominantly, the problem has ignited an argument over the financial advantages of private prisons in the United States since the most enthusiastic nonconformists indicate the challenges with the economic dispute for the establishment of private prisons and include sensible objectors that show data which is inconclusive and can be regarded as an unfortunate sign of their benefits. Privatization of prisons is an idea that is morally unsuitable because a company that has economic purposes is not supposed to be given the task of controlling the lives of prisoners. Giving a contract to private companies to run a prison does not lessen the government of its legal and moral duties that ensure the provision of appropriate treatment. The companies might attain the required standards with an effectively operated correctional facility or through a well-monitored and well-written agreement with a private company. The challenge of mass imprisonment is a divisive and challenging concern that should further be examined. However, through groundwork policies around pretrial and housing matters, the reduction in sitting populations of prisoners can help in optimistically easing the weight on public prisons thus allowing the nation to get away from expensive privatization.

The job of running prison facilities can either be the duty of the government or that of private companies. However, the obligation best fits in the hands of the government thus becoming its sole responsibility. The main reason as to why the government should solely undertake this duty is to promote equity and fairness. Under the present structure, different states can adopt diverse prison management structures. For instance, some of the countries in the United States can ensure that they confine their prisoners in conditions that are much harsher as compared to the rest (Page & Gilens, 2017). This decision would appear as one that is unjust. The punishment that a prisoner undergoes is not supposed to rely on the jurisdiction in which she or he might have committed. The jail where the sentence is being served is supposed to have similar situations, irrespective of the state. As a consequence, it can be argued that a prison structure that is uniquely operated by the state government would be found to be better as compared to the current system.

Different challenges affect prisons in the United States today (Richie, 2018). These concerns include gang activity, overcrowding, and access to quality healthcare services. For instance, inmates in California filed many lawsuits thus staging a significant hunger strike thus staging protests against the issue of overcrowding. Most of the overcrowding challenge in California’s prisons have been influenced by the three strikes legislation and harsh drugs. Prisoners are also affected by mental health challenges that affect their thinking, mood, and behavior. Some ordinary circumstances include anxiety challenges, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Even though most mentally ill individuals are imprisoned for petty crimes, it has been proven that the government has been undergoing challenges in providing these individuals with quality health care services. Most of the treatment centers have been forced to neglect patients thus reducing their service provision.

References

Costello, R. (2018). Private Prisons and Correctional Management: A Review of Two Recent Books. Criminal Justice, 33(2), 39-40.

Page, B. I., & Gilens, M. (2017). Democracy in America?: What has Gone Wrong and What We Can Do About It. University of Chicago Press.

Richie, B. (2018). Challenges incarcerated women face as they return to their communities: Findings from life history interviews. In Women Prisoners and Health Justice (pp. 23-44). CRC Press.