February 23, 2006

Dear Editor:

In "The private, nonprofit prison," (2/21-06) David Posen's opinion editorial mixes juvenile and adult programs and seems to be confused about the meaning of non-profit.

The Association of Private Correctional and Treatment Organizations agrees with Posen that this year more than 650,000 offenders will be released from prison. Each, as they say, "will be coming to a neighborhood near you." We do not want these people to re-offend and return to prison; we need to change the ways we think about incarceration.

Treatment, education, and rehabilitation must be the focus of our prisons. We must be willing to pay the price for those programs now, rather than pay more later in the form of prison costs, societal costs, court costs, and the costs to victims. Transitional living programs to help the returning offender reintegrate into society, find a job, and find a place to live are also essential.

Juvenile programs are an excellent place to begin the process of reducing our incarceration rate. If we can provide the proper programming, in the proper setting, we are often able to help young person find his way off the road to a life of crime and prison.

Please notice that none of the tools and resources needed to reduce our crime rate, or reduce the recidivism rate, has anything to do with corporate structure. "Not-for-profit" does not mean an organization does not make money; it simply means they do not pay taxes. Also, keep in mind that an operation run by the government is no guarantee of quality and effectiveness. Just ask the people in New Orleans about FEMA.

When society demands that our juvenile programs and adult prisons be committed to breaking the cycle of incarceration, is willing to pay the costs of doing so. and is willing to hold the providers (whether they're privately-run or government-run) accountable for results, the corporate structure does not matter. It's the American Way to set a level playing field, establish clear measures of success, and give everyone the chance to compete. The result provides the highest-quality service for the lowest cost.

Sincerely,
 
Michael T. LoBue, Executive Director
Association of Private Correctional and Treatment Organizations
www.apcto.org