Private prisons are largely a red herring. They account for some 8.4% of the prison population. [1] Many of the horror stories coming from them are simply from

Private prisons are largely a red herring. They account for some 8.4% of the prison population. [1] Many of the horror stories coming from them are simply from the fact that state corrections agencies willfully loosen their standards when contracting with private prison operators. [1] http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p14.pdf http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p14.pdf, p. 14