Legislators split on private state prisons
Source: By Dennis Welch, East Valley Tribune (AZ), January 29, 2007
Arizona needs more prisons to keep up with its growing inmate population, which already exceeds the intended capacity by an estimated 4,500 bodies. But who will build them? Lawmakers are divided on the issue of allowing for-profit companies to construct more prison walls, the latest chapter in a long-standing debate over the merits of a privately run prison system.