The print media’s portrayal of the private prison

This article draws on a study of the print media’s portrayal of prison privatization, primarily in the USA. Findings reveal that privatization is portrayed as a practice closely associated with profit, efficiency, and overcrowding. Currently, the print media focuses on privatization’s external characteristics rather than on those internal traits more closely associated with inmates, staff, and issues of operational quality. Furthermore, the print media is portraying prison privatization more negatively now than at any time since its re-emergence nearly two decades ago.