″Porridge″ for Profit – Back to the Future: The Origins of a National Prison Service

Abstract

The first privatized penal establishment was commissioned in early April 1992, The Wolds Remand Prison, Humberside. In April 1993 it is proposed to restructure HM Prison Service as a government agency, rather than a government department. These policies are not new. In fact it is a repeat of history, and the Prison Service will be established as a dual system, as it was prior to the 1877 Prisons Act. Government accountability and control may be removed from the Home Office. A privatized prison may be run in the name of its shareholders, and not in the name of Her Majesty The Queen – hence the title of this article. Argues that privatization will not decrease overcrowding, but encourage it, along with potential corruption.

Citation

Black, J. (1992), "″Porridge″ for Profit – Back to the Future: The Origins of a National Prison Service", International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 5 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513559210012962