VIABILITY OF PRISON PRIVATIZATION: EXPLORING PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE PRISON SECTOR IN INDIA

The concept of for-profit prison privatization dates back to almost as early as the 16th Century. A trend started by the United Kingdom, it enjoyed a modern comeback in the United States during the 1980s. Following them, numerous countries experimented with prison privatization. India has not yet considered the merits and demerits of complete privatization of the prison sector. However, it has started incorporating elements of privatization in it by accepting and developing on the PublicPrivate Partnership model. In this paper, an attempt has been made to trace out the history of private prisons in different countries in the world along with the advantages and disadvantages of privatization of prisons. A further attempt has been made to establish the viability of the rising concept of Public - Private Partnership Model in the prison sector in India and how the PPP model could lead to a backdoor entry for Corporate Social Responsibility to enter the arena of prisons in the country.