Editorial: Privatizing and prisons are a bad fit

Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2001 | 8:43 a.m.

Last year a privately run youth prison was opened in Clark County, but the facility for serious juvenile offenders experienced a rash of problems. The Sun disclosed in September that a number of security breaches, escapes and suicide attempts occurred at Summit View Correctional Center, which was operated by Youth Services International. There even were instances of female staff members having sex with inmates. Eventually, Youth Services International ended its contract with the state two weeks after the Sun began investigating the conditions at Summit View.

In the wake of the disclosures, Gov. Kenny Guinn advocated that the state operate the prison instead of another private company, an encouraging sign since Republicans typically champion privatization. But on Monday the Legislature's Interim Finance Committee rebuffed the governor, and told Guinn to find another private company to run the prison. Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said the state's proposal would cost $155 per day per inmate compared with the cost of $113 per day to send the serious delinquents out of state. Raggio misses the point, however, of why privatization won't work well in the administration of prisons. The reason why it costs more to have the state do the job is because you get what you pay for. Low wages, poor benefits and scant training by a company will enable a prison to be run cheaply -- but at what cost? Public safety has no business b eing farmed out to the lowest bidder.

Meanwhile, as the state looks for another company to take over Summit View, it will have to transfer the youths elsewhere, a situation that creates its own set of headaches. Assemblyman Joe Dini, who was one of the few Democrats to support Raggio, suggested some of the offenders with lesser offenses be sent to the privately run Rite of Passage located in Northern Nevada, while the more dangerous ones could be sent to facilities out of state. But the deputy state administrator for youth corrections, Willie Smith, noted that Rite of Passage won't accept offenders who have sexual, alcohol, drug and mental problems, and out-of-state facilities don't have the rehabilitation and schooling programs that the state could provide at Summit View.

Raggio and the other legislators want to stick with privatization, but to continue to do so is a mistake. Privatization, with its low wages and cost-cutting mentality, is a terrible fit for law enforcement -- and Summit View is yet one more example of its failure.