CHUKA UNIVERSITY

OGOT ESTHER

CB4/42261/19

CRIMINOLOGY AND SECURITY STUDIES

CRSS 301

ETHICS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

MR. ABEL HOLLA

ASSIGNEMENT: Discuss the benefits and challenges of privatization of prisons and probation services
and highlight the ethical issues that would arise from such privatization.
ABSTRACT

The assignment focus on the benefits and challenges that would arise when privatization becomes an
option for providing prison and probation services and the unethical issues that arises with such
privatization. It tries to analyze these benefits, challenges and the unethical issues and how they affect
the management, productivity and governance of the services within the prison and probation
departments.

INTRODUCTION

The institutions of confinement of convicted offenders and the type of sentence where convicted
criminals are allowed to continue living in the community but will automatically be sent to jail if they
violate certain conditions need to be privatized. Many argue that the reason for having a contract with a
non-governmental third party to oversee and manage the prison and probation services is that prisons
are becoming more and more difficult to manage due to the high prison and probation population.

The main reason for the privatization is to help reduce the high prison and probation population as well
as to help reduce the work load within those departments on the services they offer. There are some
other more benefits that comes with the privatization of prisons and probation services that incites the
option of privatization.

Moreover, the option of privatization of prisons and probation services also comes with challenges both
to the federal government and to the community and also to the prisoners themselves. This may be
because the private prisons and probation department’s main aim and objective is to make profit out of
the services they provide rather than overseeing and managing the services they provide.