Arizona Department of Corrections - Private Prisons

This report focused on the Department’s oversight of its private prison contractors and potential for expanding the program to other inmate groups. Through strong contract requirements and extensive oversight activities, the Department has ensured that contracted facilities operate almost exactly like state-operated facilities, but at a lower cost. The Department should begin tracking cost information to make future privatization decisions. Further, in addition to the substance abuse and DUI inmates already sent to private prisons, the Department may wish to consider privatizing incarceration of other inmate groups, such as women, geriatric inmates, sex offenders, or mentally ill inmates. In order to compare the costs of incarcerating these inmates in state-operated versus private facilities, the Department needs to begin tracking related costs, such as health care, special programs, or facility modifications required for such inmate groups. Finally, this report includes information on other private prisons in Arizona that do not have contracts with the Department.