Many juvenile correctional facilities, several illegal alien detention facilities, and a few county correctional facilities are privately operated. Usually the government has contracted with private companies for facility operations so as to reduce costs. In some cases, contracts have been let because private companies could provide facilities more quickly than a government agency. Private facilities are usually monitored by the government to ensure compliance with contractual agreements, which stipulate the policies by which the company must manage the facilities. Some policies for facility conditions and operations are more stringent than those under which government facilities have operated. Generally, privately operated adult facilities, other than the immigration detention facilities, have not been operating long enough to permit cost comparisons, and juvenile facilities vary so widely in the services offered that cost comparisons are difficult. The two immigration detention facilities show a 9.8-percent and 12.5-percent savings for privately operated facilities. Statistics on rehabilitation and disorders are not available. The study also discusses some legal and ethical issues associated with privately operated corrections facilities. Appended relevant articles.