WHAT IS A FOR-PROFIT PRIVATE PRISON?
"Over the years, these political strategies have allowed private prison companies to promote policies that lead to higher rates of incarceration and thus greater profit margins for their company. In particular, private prison companies have had either influence over or helped to draft model legislation such as ‚three-strikes‛ and ‚truth-in-sentencing‛ laws, both of which have driven up incarceration rates and ultimately created more opportunities for private prison companies to bid on contracts to increase revenues. The recent Supreme Court decision in Citizens United vs. FEC further facilitates this influence by allowing corporations to engage freely in paid political speech such as television and radio ads and programs.
As policymakers and the public are increasingly coming to understand that incarceration is not only breaking the bank, but it’s also not making us safer,6 will this shrink the influence of the private prison companies? Or will they use their growing financial muscle to consolidate and expand into even more areas of the justice system? Much will depend on the extent that people understand the role for-profit private prison companies have already played in raising incarceration rates and harming people and communities, and take steps to ensure that in the future, community safety and well-being, and not profits, drive our justice policies. One thing is certain: in this political game, the private prison industry will look out for their own best interests.
GAMING THE SYSTEM 4


WHAT IS A FOR-PROFIT PRIVATE PRISON?

While the private sector provides services to correctional institutions including health care, education, transportation and counseling, for the purpose of this report, a for-profit private prison is a facility managed by a for-profit organization through a public-private partnership with a government contract. Private prison companies contract with federal and state governments to either take over management of a state-run facility or to house people in a privately constructed prison. Private prisons generally charge a daily rate per person incarcerated to cover investment, operating costs, and turn a profit.7 This daily rate varies depending upon facility, population and security level, but usually pays for correctional officers, support staff, food services, programmatic costs and partial medical care among other services.8"
"Steady increases in the number of people in private prisons, especially those coming from federally contracted beds, translate into increased revenues for private prison companies. Since private prison companies are in the business to make money, policies that maintain or increase incarceration boost their revenues; from a business perspective, the economic and social costs of mass incarceration are ‚externalities‛ that aren’t figured into their corporate bottom line."

http://www.justicepolicy.org/uploads/justicepolicy/documents/gaming_the_system.pdf
Wakenhut is driving the private prison industry:
Maddow on Wakenhut Wacky Scott Walker
February 22, 2011
http://www.politicolnews.com/maddow-on-wakenhut-wacky-scott-walker/
BP Oil Leak - G4S Wackenhut Security Officers Blocking Reporters Protest