Captive Market: The Politics of Private Prisons in America

The author of "Captive Market" suggests that states privatize prisons to limit legal and political accountability for inmate lawsuits, an unintended consequence of the legal rights revolution for prisoners. Evidence from an original dataset and interviews with private prison companies, government officials, and advocacy groups suggests that growing prisoner lawsuits are a significant driver of prison privatization.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 12 October 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

The development of the modern private prison industry in the United States has been a controversial topic in recent decades. While there are various explanations for this policy adoption, including partisanship, economic stress, unionization, and lobbying efforts by private prison firms, none fully explain why states privatize their prisons. In her book, Captive Market, Anna Gunderson proposes a novel explanation for why states adopt this policy. Gunderson argues that states privatize prisons to limit legal and political accountability for inmate lawsuits, an unintended consequence of the legal rights revolution for prisoners.

To support her argument, Gunderson utilizes an original dataset and conducts interviews with private prison companies, government officials, and advocacy groups. The evidence gathered suggests that growing prisoner lawsuits are a significant driver of prison privatization in the United States. Currently, over 160,000 inmates are held in private facilities across the country, representing a significant increase from previous years.

Understanding the causes of this rise and the nuances of private prison policy is crucial, as it has significant consequences for the American criminal legal system. Gunderson's book provides an eye-opening account of an industry that many are aware of but few know much about. It will reshape our understanding of the fundamental nature of the American carceral state and raise important questions about the role of private corporations in the criminal justice system.

Weight: 314g
Dimension: 234 x 154 x 11 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197624142