The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

A June 14, 2005, article by The Denver Post reports, “Privately owned prisons in Colorado fall far short of minimum safety and medical standards, possibly resulting in the deaths of two inmates and the early release of a sex offender, according to an audit released [June 13]. Part of the problem, the report from the state auditor’s office said, is lax state oversight of the private prisons, which collected $53 million to house 2,800 inmates in 2004.The audit’s key findings: Nine inmates died between January 2001 and September 2004. Two of those deaths may have been caused by physicians who changed medications without physically examining the inmates. A sexual offender was released from prison three months early because officials awarded him credits for treatment sessions he didn’t attend. None of the five private prisons in Colorado have licensed medical clinics. Four private-prison employees had previous convictions for motor-vehicle theft, assault, criminal mischief and harassment. Staffing levels are lower at private prisons than at state institutions, with the worst ratio at the Crowley County prison, where inmates rioted last year.” The auditor’s report details numerous other problems, ranging from lack of adequate treatment for mental illness to violations of Colorado law regarding the types of inmates that can be transferred to private prisons. The audit finds, “The Department [of Corrections] does not use a competitive bidding process to procure private correctional services...” In September, 2002, paper published by the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, Stephen Raher cast doubt on the notion that contract prisons save the state money. He pointed to hidden costs. Given the latest, audit, it appears the legislature is not getting good value for its money when it comes to contract prisons. Perhaps before the legislature asks for more tax money to fund additional projects, it should adequately manage essential programs already on its plate.

Sources: Mark P. Couch, “Private prisons in Colo. remiss: Safety, medical shortfalls found,” Denver Post, June 14, 2005. Report of the State Auditor, Private Prisons, Department of Corrections, Performance Audit, April, 2005, http://www.leg.state.co.us/OSA/coauditor1.nsf/All/FC4A43C259BADC498725701B00755584/$FILE/1676%20Private%20Prisons%20Perf%20April%202005.pdf. Stephen Raher, “Private Prisons and Public Money: Hidden Costs Borne by Colorado’s Taxpayers,”Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, September, 2002, http://www.ccjrc.org/pdf/CostDataReport2002.pdf.

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