Do you support Private or for-profit Prisons?

[Indy Texas]

Moderate Hero Answer: It depends.

Republicans/conservatives err in treating outsourcing as subject to some unwritten law of being inherently and always the optimal solution. They forget that if they really want to run government "like a business" they would understand that businesses do not outsource all functions of their operations and it would be illogical to expect the public sector to do so.

I could foresee a situation where, for example, some scandal erupted at a state prison and necessitated the firing of a sizable portion of its staff. And in order to keep the prison operational, it might be preferable (or the only feasible option) to hire an outside contractor on a temporary basis until long-term staffing issues can be settled.

Apart from that, I can't think of a situation where a private vendor would be preferable. 90% of the time, it's a matter of someone wanting government money to do something the government could do better itself.