Private Prison Outlines Path to Easing Mass Incarceration in the U.S.
CENTERVILLE, Utah (PRWEB) November 16, 2017 -- Management & Training Corporation (MTC), the nation’s third largest prison contractor, has released a report outlining what the country must do to reduce the trend of mass incarceration.
“It’s difficult to dispute that the U.S. has an incarceration problem,” asserts MTC Public Policy Director Danny Jasperson. “Over the last 45 years, the incarceration rate has more than quadrupled—making the U.S. prison population by far the largest in the world.”
The report, titled “America’s Mass Incarceration Problem: Can Prison Contractors Actually Be Part of the Solution?, delves into what led up to mass incarceration and how the private sector can assist government agencies in reducing recidivism.
“It’s important to be clear about what led up to mass incarceration. Some have blamed contractors for mass incarceration, but that would be quite a stretch considering only 8% of all state and federal prisoners are held in contract prisons. So, the vast majority—92%— are held in publicly run prisons,” adds Jasperson.
The report points out that punitive sentencing policies, an increase in prosecutions, and changes in criminal justice philosophy are the primary factors that have fueled mass incarceration.
“There was a big shift in the 1980s away from effective rehabilitation programs. That had a detrimental impact on incarcerated men and women ultimately resulting in high recidivism rates,” adds MTC Public Policy Research Analyst Karin Rueff.
Nationally, more than 50 percent of those released from state correctional facilities will return to prison within three years.
“Society has got to do something to turn this ship around,” says Jasperson. “That’s why we took a deep dive into possible solutions including requiring all prisons to provide evidence-based programming. Effective programs have been shown to reduce re-offending.”
The report also recommends the use of performance-based contracting for both publicly run and privately run facilities as a way to drive results. Successful rehabilitation outcomes should be tracked in all prison systems and benchmarks for achieving those outcomes should be written into prison contracts.
Click here to read the executive summary and to access the full report.
Click here to see MTC’s position statement on criminal justice reform.
Also, see the story of one man who escaped the revolving door of the criminal justice system. Paul McAfee immersed himself in programs at the Diboll Correctional Center in Texas and is now living a successful life. Click here to see his story.
About MTC
MTC is the nation’s leading operator of federal Job Corps centers and one of the nation’s leading operators of private correctional facilities. MTC’s operates 24 correctional facilities and operates, or partners in operating, 19 Job Corps centers across the United States. MTC’s key to success is helping people realize their learning potential and providing life-changing opportunities through academic, vocational, substance abuse and social skills training. For more information visit: http://www.mtctrains.com
For more information contact: Issa Arnita, Communication Director
Office: 801-693-2784; Cell: 801-866-8156 or issa.arnita(at)mtctrains(dot)com
Issa Arnita, MANAGEMENT & TRAINING CORPORATION, http://www.mtctrains.com, +1 801-693-2784, [email protected]
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