Outsourcing Community Safety: Can private prisons work for public good?  raises a number of questions about the purpose of prisons and the role of private providers.

Prisons have a purpose and an opportunity: rehabilitation must be their focus, a chance to work towards a safer community. We urgently need to know whether privatisation is the best means to achieve this goal.

There are some clear warnings from overseas about the risks of private prisons. We therefore sound a note of caution, and call on governments to either make the case, or keep prisons public.