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The Conversation USA

Private prisons, explained

  • Written by Brett C. Burkhardt, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Oregon State University
imageA glimpse behind barsCropped from krystiano/flickr, CC BY

The year 2016 was a wild one for the private prison industry.

During the presidential election campaign, the Democraticchallengers both called for an end to private prisons. The leader in the industry announced it would lay off 12 percent of headquarters staff. Then, in August, Obama’s...

Read more: Private prisons, explained

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