This could be a very long post, but this is a blog so I’ll keep it short.
Almost every day there is a new scandal about a public service that was privatized: prisons, hospitals, schools, preschool programs.
Today it is the prison half-way houses in New Jersey, which were privatized and are now plagued with drugs, corruption, and various other problems.
The New Jersey legislature wants to impose greater supervision.
Governor Chris Christie, that tower of rectitude, won’t permit it, if it includes closer supervision of existing contracts.
One of his close political associates runs half-way houses in New Jersey.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Diane,
You can add other public works like: transportation services, garbage collection services and nursing homes, There are even hybrids popping up like quasi edu-prison outfits that serve as pre-trail diversion programs for certain offenders where a person can plea to the district attorney for a reduced sentence and a stay at a faith-based prison-like program with an alleged education component instead of going to one of Louisiana’s over crowded prisons. The owner of one such program, The Academy of Training Services (http://www.aattss.com/ ) which is owned by Lee Mallet of Iowa, LA, was just appointed by Governor Bobby Jindal to………the LSU BOARD OF SUPERVISORS???
I find it strange that some voters take comfort in voting for someone who is overtly ‘pro business’ at all costs. Many of us should pause and ask ourselves if it is wise to support a business model that depends on arrest rates to make a profit. Furthermore, we should ask ourselves if the owner of such a gig should have a vote on the Board that will impact our flagship university that has lost good scientists and its president because of Jindal.
Thanks, Bryan for the info and the link. First I’ve heard of this facility. Jindal wants to be sure he is surrounded by his supporters.
You are welcome.
I want to personally invite you to ATS.
1. No contract with anyone.
2. ATS has never received any money; state locally or federal.
3. If I’m so well connected, why do I have 50 empty beds and had 50 empty beds for 4 years.
4. Go to our website and see what we are doing to help these young men change their lives.
We received no money to build the facility, no money to run the facility and no money to house the residents. We have full time job locators, we offer a 3rd party counselors with New Horizons for drug and alcohol treatment, GED classes, anger management classes, alcohol testing daily, random drug testing weekly, drug dogs monthly. We create an atmosphere to change young men’s lives.
I don’t get paid to anything to be on LSU Board of Supervisors. I didn’t ask. The governor asked and I accepted. About giving away money. This is America and I can give money to whatever cause I deem fit. I choose to try to elect people who share my views.
On the issue, I get free labor. On the contrary, they are paid based on their skill set; at least minimum wage; some make minimum wage, some $10 or 15 per hour; but no one works for free. If they were free men, they would have to pay for room and board, food, transportation, etc. They also get 12 hours of counseling per week as part of their fee which would normally cost $1200.00 a week. In fact, I forgive debt every week because a lot can’t reach that threshold.
The person that mentioned slavery, isn’t it better to have them pay their debt to society for committing a crime in a facility that tries to change them for the better, then a jail or penitentiary that does not offer any of those services other than locked up like a dog. The ATS is set up just like an army; we call them cadets.
The ATS does have oversight. The Dept. of Correction and American Correctional Association. They also passed a law specifically for ATS. Called Judicial Referral Act. Go to our website and you can read the act.
Once again, everyone is invited to come and tour the facility and talk with the cadets.
And If you would like reach me, this is my cell phone is 337/515-2154.
Best Regards
I worked for Lee Mallett at Mallett Buildings. The stories I could tell…
Just noticed this blog. Mr. Parrino was terminated after about 3 months here at Mallett Buildings. I don’t know what kind of stories he could possibly have, but they are that, just stories. Sounds like a disgruntle employee.
Simply amazing that all we hear in the public school system is “accountability” and “no excuses” with ever-increasing scrutiny and micromanagement. But when someone tries to suggest that we might need to apply a mild form of that metric of accountability to private enterprise they start screeching about how this would lead to greater expenses and hinder innovation and cause the privateers to give up their efforts entirely and leave in a huff.
So if I’m following this illogic correctly then the maxim is:
Maximum accountability, micromanagement, and oversight for public schools and teachers because they are paid with tax dollars and all stakeholders need to be assured that they are not misusing tax money.
Minimum or no accountability, laissez faire management, and minimal or no oversight for private enterprise even though they are paid with tax dollars and all stakeholders have to trust that they are not misusing tax money.
So why is it that they claim that high-stakes accountability, micromanagement, and oversight are critical to bring out the best in public schools and teachers and ensure that everyone is doing their job but those same measures stifle and prevent the private enterprises from doing what needs to be done in the most cost-effective and creative ways possible?
Do they ensure success or stifle and destroy? How in the world can they do both at the same time? Which is it?
The cognitive dissonance is deafening, nauseating, and numbing.
Where have all the muckrakers gone? Long time ago….
(oh wait… a Kardashian is pregnant or some such thing)
Yeah, we’re more like 1912 was than 2012 should be. Paterson Silk Strike was 1915: maybe Michelle Rhee will have her own day time talk show by 2015. Grifting is hard work compared to that.
The Facebook group, Resist the Privatization of America, tracks these issues.
Of course corruption only exists in the private sector…
Or does it? http://westfield.patch.com/articles/engineer-pleads-guilty-in-schools-contract-scandal
No, it’s just one of the few things that private enterprise really is better at.
Corruption exists in the public sector. In schools, however, no principal or teacher ever has the opportunity to steal large sums. There are too many checks on them and there is never enough money around. But consider that a charter founder in Philly was recently indicted for misappropriation of $6.5 million! Cannot happen in a public school even if the willingness was there. The opportunity is not.
Here are a couple of privatization debacles; one related to WI. Gov. Scott Walker and the other the city of Chicago.
Before Scott Walker was Gov. he was County Executive for Milwaukee County and decided to fire all the unioni security forces at various county buildings by declaring an overblown budget emergency just like he did as Gov. The County Board did not approve it, but he did it anyway claiming he didn’t need their approval because of the emergency. So, he fired the union workers and hired a private force called Wackenhut (spelling might be off). Watch the link to see how that worked out.
Of course 2 weeks ago he addressed Harvard University regarding his reforms in education and in so doing made sure to give a plug for public-private partnerships
The other debacle is about the city of chicago parking meter privatization. Before former mayor daley left office he sold off the city parking meters to a private company. Click on the link to see how that is going.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/24/chicago-parking-meter-sel_n_1543305.html
Food 4 Thought —
The Current Business Paradigm Is Toxic to Business and Society. Here’s How We Change It
I don’t know that privatization of prison systems is the way to go, but the reasons you advanced opposing privatization seem shallow. Corruption, drugs, and violence existed in the system long before any privatization occurred. As for oversight, I would follow Sen. Jeff Van Drew’s lead. He’s not an ideologue, and I found him reasonable as my assemblyman when I lived in NJ.
Privatization Watch follows a lot of these issues. I keep a link to it on my own blog. You can find it at
http://www.privatizationwatch.org/