Slide 1 ___________________________________
Privatisation and competition ___________________________________
Professor Alison Liebling
Prisons Research Centre, Institute of Criminology ___________________________________
Cambridge, UK
March 2019
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 2 Private prisons in England and Wales ___________________________________
• Most privatised system in Europe (19%) – but no high security prisons
• 14 prisons – 3 companies: G4S, Serco, Sodexo. Mixed results.
Important changes over time. ___________________________________
• Private prisons tend to be larger (economies of scale)
• Most have been ‘new build’(but Birmingham …)
• Birmingham transition from public to private (Liebling et al 2015). Others
returned to public, or merged.
___________________________________
• Recent competition rounds: a new model – competing rehabilitation and
ancillary services; Thamesmead = consortia contract (Sodexo, Catch 22
and Turning Point). Wrexham (Berwyn) – went to public sector. FT
article (today). 2 new/rebuilds going to private sector. ___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 3 Private prison companies in England and Wales ___________________________________
• Serco: Doncaster 1994; Lowdham Grange 1998 (Nottingham);
Ashfield 1999 (Bristol); Dovegate 2000 (Stafford), Thameside
2012 (South-East London) ___________________________________
• G4S (GSL + Group 4 Securicor): Wolds 1992 (now public
Humberside, merged with Everthorpe); Altcourse 1997
(Liverpool); Rye Hill 2001 (Rugby); Parc 1997 (Bridgend);
Birmingham (2012); Oakwood (2012): vast and cheap. ___________________________________
• Sodexo (formerly Kalyx): Forest Bank 2000 (Salford);
Bronzefield 2004 (Ashford); Peterborough (Feb 2005)
• idea of ‘contestability’ (Govt as ‘the purchaser of services’) ___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
Privatisation and competition ___________________________________
Professor Alison Liebling
Prisons Research Centre, Institute of Criminology ___________________________________
Cambridge, UK
March 2019
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 2 Private prisons in England and Wales ___________________________________
• Most privatised system in Europe (19%) – but no high security prisons
• 14 prisons – 3 companies: G4S, Serco, Sodexo. Mixed results.
Important changes over time. ___________________________________
• Private prisons tend to be larger (economies of scale)
• Most have been ‘new build’(but Birmingham …)
• Birmingham transition from public to private (Liebling et al 2015). Others
returned to public, or merged.
___________________________________
• Recent competition rounds: a new model – competing rehabilitation and
ancillary services; Thamesmead = consortia contract (Sodexo, Catch 22
and Turning Point). Wrexham (Berwyn) – went to public sector. FT
article (today). 2 new/rebuilds going to private sector. ___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 3 Private prison companies in England and Wales ___________________________________
• Serco: Doncaster 1994; Lowdham Grange 1998 (Nottingham);
Ashfield 1999 (Bristol); Dovegate 2000 (Stafford), Thameside
2012 (South-East London) ___________________________________
• G4S (GSL + Group 4 Securicor): Wolds 1992 (now public
Humberside, merged with Everthorpe); Altcourse 1997
(Liverpool); Rye Hill 2001 (Rugby); Parc 1997 (Bridgend);
Birmingham (2012); Oakwood (2012): vast and cheap. ___________________________________
• Sodexo (formerly Kalyx): Forest Bank 2000 (Salford);
Bronzefield 2004 (Ashford); Peterborough (Feb 2005)
• idea of ‘contestability’ (Govt as ‘the purchaser of services’) ___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
