Private prisons come back into the debate whenever a prison system is under pressure. In Argentina's 2023 presidential campaign, for example, one candidate proposed handing prisons over to private companies to make them cheaper and more efficient. But do private prisons actually work better for the people inside?
What is a private prison?
A private prison is one where the state hands over all or part of the running of the prison to a private company. The company invests in building or running the facility and is paid by the state, often per available place, whether the places are filled or not. Most of these companies operate for profit.
Two models
1. Fully private. The company builds the prison and runs everything: daily operation, treatment programmes, security and transport of inmates. Contracts usually last 20 years or more. When the contract ends, the building passes to the state, which can extend the contract if it has worked well.
2. Mixed model. This is more common. The state keeps control of security, discipline and treatment, and the company only handles logistics such as food, cleaning, maintenance and supplies. The reason is a basic principle in a democracy: the use of force over people deprived of their liberty belongs to the state and should not be handed to a private company.
Does it work?
The results vary a lot from country to country:
- Arguments for: private operators claim they can run prisons more efficiently, at lower cost and in more humane conditions.
- Arguments against: some studies found that overcrowding was not solved, health care got worse, and in some cases criminal groups ended up controlling parts of the prison themselves.
- Positive examples: where good rehabilitation programmes were combined with follow-up after release, some private models have reduced reoffending significantly.
In short, who runs the prison matters less than how it is run, how it is supervised, and whether inmates get real treatment and support.
And in Spain?
Spanish prisons are run by the state, through the Ministry of the Interior (and by the regional government in Catalonia and the Basque Country). Some services are contracted out, for example medical services in prisons that cannot fill their doctor positions. Treatment, discipline and security remain public.
What this means for inmates and families
Whatever the system, the inmate's rights are the same: health care, contact with family, access to a lawyer and the right to complain to the Prison Supervision Court. If those rights are not respected, put the complaint in writing and inform the lawyer. GC Libertad can help you with this. Contact us.
Source: Infobae · Photo: Segovia prison, Nacho Valverde / Europa Press