Our report revealed that the level of violence in private jails is far higher than in public ones. This seriously undermines a key defence of private jails. Some private prisons, including HMP Oakwood in Staffordshire, have been praised by inspectors. The spectacular failure of HMP Birmingham and its re-absorption into the state from contractor G4S put private prisons in the dock. How private and public prisons compare with regard to staffing is obscure because staffing levels in private prisons are secret, a lack of transparency that is another reason to object to outsourcing.

Source: The Guardian May 13, 2019 17:37 UTC