Barry Yeoman

In the following viewpoint, Barry Yeoman argues that the prison system would not benefit from privatization. Private prisons do not save taxpayers money, he claims, but generate significant revenues for the private companies that run them. Yeoman insists that private prisons cut programs to increase profit, despite putting the safety of prisoners, staff, and communities in jeopardy. Yeoman is the senior staff writer at the Independent, an alternative newspaper based in Durham, North Carolina.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. In Yeoman’s opinion, why has the private prison industry grown so dramatically"
2. What examples does the author give to support his claim that private prisons across the nation are troubled"
3. According to Yeoman, how did inmates escape the Youngstown, Ohio, private prison"

Not since slavery has an entire American industry derived its profits exclusively...