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That prisons should be privatised

(PRO)
0 points
(CON)
WINNER!
0 points
Natasha17Natasha17 (PRO)
Pro=for
Con=against

1.They are human
"2."private prisons are better at finding, seizing and recording contraband than their public counterparts. Furthermore, it shows that inmates in private prisons are less likely to use drugs, and less likely to be subject to or involved in sexual misconduct. It also shows that fewer inmate deaths occur in private prisons. Private prisons achieve all this at a cost of over $3,000 less per inmate, per year, according to the report."
3.Private prisons are potentially cheaper for taxpayers.
4.Many public prison systems are operating at a capacity that is much higher than originally intended. In California, the public prison system was operating at 137.5% of capacity before the Supreme Court required the state to begin reducing overcrowding. Private prisons can better control population levels by transporting prisoners to specific locations where there are greater needs. This lessens the threat of overcrowding on local systems while still allowing for profitability.
5.Private prisons can lower the rates of reoffending:A study of a private prison in Arkansas tracked over 650 women who were released after they completed a re-entry program. After 5 years, only 1 in 5 of the women being tracked had committed another criminal offense. This means that private prisons have the potential to lower the rates of reoffending by up to 50% in some regions.
6.Facilities can be used for various purposes."



Lots more to show for this argument 🙌 but I'm busy 

Return To Top | Posted:
2018-04-15 07:36:11
| Speak Round
GuitarKirbyGuitarKirby (CON)
The private prison question is an especially important one in the United States. Our prison population continues to grow, and private prisons continue to have increases in market share, so whether they are fit to operate on any level matters greatly. My opponent has put up pros that sound great in theory, so I'm going to try and provide contrary evidence to each of Pro's points.

1. Private Prisons are Humane. Popular to say, sure, but what is the measure of humane? Prisons are supposed to help people avoid recidivism, so that they can rejoin society as decent citizens, regardless of their previous crimes. Why would a for-profit prison be interested in losing inmates? Indeed, this study shows that private prisons are handing out more infractions than their public counterparts, keeping prisoners there longer - this doesn't even bring up the ethics of why prison guards are being pushed to find reasons to hand out infractions. 

2. Private Prisons are Better at Finding Contraband. I assume that the text my opponent italicized was quoted, but I don't have access to their source so it's difficult to say. However, the underlying idea that private prisons are more effective and safe than our public prisons is absolutely wrong. This review from the Office of Inspector General (part of the US Department of Justice) found "that in a majority of the categories we examined, contract prisons incurred more safety and security incidents per capita than comparable [Bureau of Prisons] institutions."

3. Private Prisons are Potentially Cheaper for Taxpayers. Well, one would hope so after finding that they are dropping the ball on safety and humane treatment. But this isn't entirely true. This article shows that private prisons can cost as much as $1600 more per year. Worse yet? In this article, a private prison in Arizona was able to fine the state 3 million dollars due to the state not meeting an inmate quota. How does this save the taxpayers money, and what does it say about the ethics of these facilities?

4. Many Public Prison systems are Operating Above Capacity.
Inarguably true, but it has very little to do with whether or not existing prisons should be privatized. Building facilities that don't work isn't going to help.

5. Private Prisons can Lower Reoffense Rates. I once again don't know my opponent's source. I must say I would be surprised to learn that an industry reliant on having people filling prison cells would have any interest in reduction of recidivism. Unsurprisingly, I have yet another study showing a different result than my opponent's. In addition to all of the same points I've made here being reiterated, it shows that private prisons result in an overall increase in recidivism, not a drop. This is a combination of studies with test groups in the thousands over several states.

6. Private Prisons can be used for Various Purposes. I don't really understand what the point of this statement is, so I'd like to request clarification from my opponent on what they mean.

I think the numbers are clear: Private Prisons Don't Work.

Return To Top | Posted:
2018-04-17 04:26:44
| Speak Round
Cross-Examination
GuitarKirby: You posted in the comments section that the facilities could be used as event centers, etc. Couldn't public prison facilities be used for those kinds of things too? And besides that, why would anyone want to use prison facilities for their events?
Natasha17: They have like halls and that inside the prisions so that way they ain't spending more money on building town halls and that👌
GuitarKirby: You didn't answer my questions. Can public prisons be used for these purposes as well? And the minute you find me a set of politicians willing to hold a Town Hall meeting in a prison public or private, I'll shave my head and get a "Fancy That" tattooed on my cranium.
Natasha17: Do it 😂 dude I don't know about fucking America,U based it on AMERICAN PRISIONS which unfortunately you didn't state in the argument title. So I had no idea.. I'm guessing you Americans do that type of shit so chill
Natasha17: But I have seen that there is massive halls in prisons where they hold events so not only family members can join in but also the prisioners....
GuitarKirby: Alright, I'm not going to spend all of the cross-exam chasing down an answer to this question. The only location based study you quoted (?) was from Arkansas, so I assumed you wanted to discuss American prisons. In any case, do you think it's ethical for people to be selling prisons the same way we sell real estate, or hamburgers?
Natasha17: Depends how you coming across here....like could you explain alittle more before I answer that? Thansk
GuitarKirby: Sure. What I'm trying to ask is if it's morally okay to sell prisons the same way we sell other commodities.
GuitarKirby: To make it more succinct, should prisons be a commodity?
Natasha17: Sell them? What...you have lost me😂
GuitarKirby: That's what privatization means. If it becomes part of the free market, it's private corporations selling prisons to the state. Is that ethical?

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Natasha17Natasha17
And good work btw 🙌
Posted 2018-04-17 05:05:14
Natasha17Natasha17
What I mean by how they can be used in other ways is they can be also used for different reasons: events ect...
Posted 2018-04-17 05:03:32
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