Idea of Handing Jail Administration Over to Private Operator Is a Bad One

I am writing in response to “Hand Over the Prison, Jail Crowding Crisis to Private Sector” (Feb. 9). The author, James Doti, believes the County Jail would perform more efficiently if operated by a private company. The author does not explain why he believes the Orange County Jail is run inefficiently or why a private company would do better.

Simply saying a private company would do something better doesn’t make it so. This is an important decision, and it should be based on a clear understanding of the legal (and) ethical issues of taking someone’s freedom away and putting the processing, treatment, and health of a citizen in the hands of a for-profit operation.

Important questions to be addressed concern the use of force by private individuals, decisions relating to the release of offenders, and the reduction or forfeiture of good-time credits and disciplinary actions resulting in punishment and loss of privileges.

Who will be responsible for maintaining security if the privatized personnel go on strike? What safeguards will prevent a private contractor from making a low initial bid to obtain a contract, then raising the price of operation when government agencies are no longer able to resume the task of operating the prisons/jails immediately. What will happen if the company declares bankruptcy or simply goes out of business because there is not enough profit? In addition, privatization will not eliminate or reduce the liability of the government or the private company for violations of an individual’s rights and their treatment during incarceration.

A business operates to make a profit. The margin of profit is determined by the cost of operating the business. The money a business spends on such items as food, clothing, shelter, cleaning, medical care and personnel has a direct relationship to the profit a company running a jail would make. In tough economic times, do we relegate the safety of prisoners to the profit maximization strategies of private industry? If costs go up and profit goes down, do we lay off people and increase the risk to staff and inmates? Do we cut from three meals per day to two?

Simply stated, you have a jail; it has rooms and beds. You need to feed, clothe, clean, cut hair, provide medical service, transport to court, take to private doctors, take to funerals, provide hospital services, separate the sick, the mentally disturbed, the gangs, the drug informants, the sexual preferences, the social differences, the not guilty from the guilty, the juvenile court commitments from the adult population, the women from the men, and keep out contraband (drugs, weapons, etc.). It takes personnel to accomplish these jobs to avoid riots (and) assaults.

It costs money for each of these items, and how do we cut costs? Will the private company be able to buy food cheaper, clothes, medical supplies, operating supplies cheaper than the county? That doesn’t make sense to me.

Or does privatization simply let the so-called entrepreneurs make a buck off the taxpayer’s back? Let’s quit selling snake oil to the public. A jail is a jail. It has costs that you can’t avoid. Government should manage the housing of people when their freedom has been taken away, not a private company looking for profit at the expense (in my opinion) of a human being. There are many things government can privatize if there is merit for increased efficiency and cutting costs to taxpayers. I do not believe a human being’s housing in a jail is one of them.

Let me assure you, however, of my strong belief in privatization for land and buildings. The building of jails should be done by private companies’ handing the key to the appropriate agency. Private financing and construction of new jails will result in greater cost savings.

I don’t believe a clear and objective evaluation of the facts would lead anyone to suggest that the administration and operation of jails should be placed in the hands of a private company. The administration of justice is a core function of a free and democratic society concerned with the handling of human lives in the case of jails. An individual’s safety and welfare in that environment should not be contracted to the lowest bidder.

BRAD GATES, Sheriff-Coroner County of Orange