From an economic standpoint, the privatization of government services has great appeal. What is new about recent privatization trends in community corrections is that they increasingly involve private for-profit entities, as distinct from private nonprofit entities that have historically dominated the field. As the private profit-making sector has become more involved in the provision of correctional services, concern has grown about potential tensions between the need to maximize profit and the need to provide the best possible correctional services. The privatization of corrections is discussed in relation to the government sector as a competitor and economic motives that may conflict with the provision of quality correctional services. Factors associated with the successful implementation of privatization in corrections are noted. 7 references