ARE PRIVATE PRISONS A BURDEN?

The prison population in Utah declined 5.2 percent last year. That was
second only to New Jersey, where the population dropped 5.5 percent.

This is good news any way you look at it, but it also ought to make Utahns
heave a big sigh of relief. Think what would have happened if the state had
gone ahead with plans to contract with a private company to build and
operate a full-fledged state prison.

That was the plan, up until two years ago this month. It had progressed so
far that the city of Grantsville extended a waterline to the proposed
prison site and a private contractor incurred some costs. But then the
Department of Corrections looked closely at the matter and decided it could
save money by housing prisoners at county jails in Millard and Beaver
counties, instead. Thus was the state, and its taxpayers, saved from what
could have been a disaster.

What might have happened? Take a look at what is happening in Mississippi.

Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported on how the Mississippi
Legislature had agreed to pay a private prison company for housing
approximately 900 inmates regardless of whether those inmates actually
existed. The reason is that Mississippi's prison population has been
dropping, and the private prisons in the state were complaining that they
weren't getting enough "business" to make ends meet. Under their contracts,
the state was obligated to pay private prison operators a certain amount
for each prisoner it placed under their care, but without enough inmates to
go around, the revenue was getting sparse. Lawmakers had, in effect, agreed
to pay full price for empty cells. It was either that or go round up a
bunch of innocent people on trumped up charges.

To put it bluntly, when a state decides to privatize prisons, it creates a
new set of special interests. Private prison companies employ powerful
lobbyists to look after their interests. These are aided by lawmakers who
happen to have private prisons in their districts, as well as local
government officials from those districts who rely on the money and jobs
private prisons generate.

Only a few years ago, it was hard to imagine prison populations declining.
That would be like trying to imagine deflation, or a drop in the number of
bureaucrats who live in Washington. And yet, it has happened.

Of course, Utah's state government has to deal with some of the same issues
a private prison would confront. It may have to pay upkeep on facilities
that aren't being used, or it may have to deal with counties who were
relying on revenue from housing state prisoners. But at least it won't be
facing competition from private prison operators at the same time.

Crime is down and prisons are going empty. That's a good thing. It should
never become a burden for taxpayers.