Are private prisons working?
Updated on 29 June 2009
Britain's private prisons are performing worse than those run by the state, according to data obtained under the freedom of information act by More4 News.
The findings, based on the overall performances of 132 prisons in England and Wales, appear to undermine claims by government that private prisons are raising the standards for over 80,000 prisoners held across both the state and private-run sectors.
Separate figures from the probation officer ombudsman, also released under an FOI, show nearly double the number of prisoner complaints are upheld in private prisons as they are in state-run institutions.
The government is committed to building five more private prisons to accommodate the growing prison population, which is predicted to rise to 96,000 by 2014.
But as the data seen by More4 News shows, the low performance ratings of 40 per cent for private prisons in England and Wales cast doubt over the cost savings and other benefits of using outside businesses as put forward by the government.
The data reveals that four of the 10 private prisons scored the second lowest rating of two, signifying "requiring development" - only one point above an assessment of "serious concern".
