Opinion: Prison privatization not the way to move foreward

Privatization in prisons is not a new concept. It is an idea that has been tried over and over again, with little to no success. In Ohio alone, privatization has been tried when Corrections Corporation of America bought Lake Erie Correctional Institution in Conneaut and again when Aramark bought the food franchise in the Noble and Belmont correctional facilities in Cadwell and St. Clairsville, respectively. Neither instance was successful. In the case of Lake Erie Correctional Institution, a state audit found a lack of necessary medical treatments and inadequate staffing. As for Aramark, another state audit found a decreased quality and quantity of food as well as over-payment to the company of more than $2 million. Privatization has proven to be detrimental. Yet, the concept keeps arising as a solution to relieving some of the deficit. And again, a similar plan to privatize food service in prisons has come to the forefront.The plan surfaced when Governor Kasich released his proposed budget for 2013. If enacted, this means that the task of feeding inmates, officers and guests will be taken out of the hands of state workers and fall into the lap of a private company. This means that the state government would no longer foot the bill for food, a bill that includes the cost of labor for the state workers, the cost of the food, etc. The company would work through a contract, and so state funds would pay the company. However, the estimated cost of paying a private company is supposed to be significantly lower than the present cost. On the surface it appears as if this is a great plan. This plan will reduce the deficit, and save nearly $16 million every year. However, behind the scenes there is much more to the story.In fierce opposition of this plan stands the Ohio Civil Services Employee Associaton (OCSEA), which is the union for state employees. OCSEA has opposed the plan for several reasons including the potential loss of approximately 450 state jobs. But, more than that, there was an alternative option that would also save millions every year without the negative consequences. Previous to the plan for privatization being announced, the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections formed a joint committee with OCSEA. The goal was to decrease the average cost of each meal. At a starting cost of $1.72 per meal, the committee found an effective way to bring the cost of each meal to $1.53. The lowered cost would be possible through measures such as conserving paper products, limiting food waste and utilizing a lower staffing plan, just to name a few. In total, this alternative plan would save a minimum of $9.7 million. This total is only if staffing was filled at capacity, but it is not. So, the amount saved would be even larger than this. However, despite this alternative plan to save money, the state went forward with releasing a Request for Information (RFI). An RFI is the precursor to a Request for Proposal (RFP), which is the request that would allow private companies to place a bid. In other words, they moved forward with privatization anyway.If the plan does become enacted then the effects will be felt across the board. Privatization would affect taxpayers, food service workers and prisoners. Taxpayers are paying into a program that is not truly beneficial, the food service workers face being laid off and prisoners face poorer food conditions, just to name a few consequences. This is not to mention the extremely low efficiency of privatization. In past cases, the companies have been “fired” and the job went back to state employees, with no progress being made. Yes, we do need to cut spending to reduce the deficit. However, we can do that by keeping these jobs filled with state employees and cutting costs on a day-to-day basis. Furthermore, there are several examples of private companies failing beyond the borders of Ohio, like Florida and Kentucky. Case after case has shown that privatization does not succeed in saving money. But it does succeed in laying off workers, creating unacceptable living conditions and wasting everyone’s time.