The papers explore the questions of whether privately operated prisons can be more efficiently managed, how public and private interests are balanced differently for different modes of financing private prisons, and how the relative costs of operating private and public facilities can be fairly assessed. They also consider whether private prisons will try to reduce their costs by reducing services to inmates, the benefits that privatization provides to public administrators, and the monitoring procedures that can best assure public accountability. Philosophical issues are also examined including whether it is proper for prisons to be run like businesses, whether businesses should be permitted to make a profit on prisons, and whether such complete authority over people should be delegated to the private sector. The authors include social scientists, lawyers, and journalists. Chapter notes, author biographies, and index