Is there a Penn State vs. State Pen joke here?

There must be since we're talking about huge increases in the state's private prison bills:

Private prisons generally house lower-risk, healthier inmates in the final 18 months of their terms. It's a class of prisoner that costs less to incarcerate than the dangerous, the sick and the long-term who require added expenses for things such as security and medical care.

On a recent visit to the Golden State facility, 25 miles north of Bakersfield, inmates lauded the prison for its easier feel, which they said contrasts sharply with the oppressive environment of state institutions marked by overcrowding, violence and control.

"Right here is love, compared to where I've been," said inmate William Cook, 27, of Newark, who previously walked the yards at San Quentin, Pleasant Valley and Lancaster. "Here you get all the football games, you get movies every day. It's real easy to do your time here. You don't have to worry about nothing – no politics right here."

Dude, it IS like the difference between public and private colleges, isn't it? Private prisons have perks. Public prisons have to provide services to more people and the quality suffers. This is just weird.

The article certainly adds fuel to the anti-union fire too: the high bill comes from privates' desire to raise guard pay rates from around $10 to around $15 per hour.

State correctional officers - you know, the CCPOA guys - start at $35 an hour. And that doesn't include all that overtime and other benies. Yikes! Maybe privates can do everything better than publics - in any arena.

I know, I know, these are the easy criminals they are guarding - not the crazy sick and dangerous guys in state facilities. Still, that's quite a price difference, no?

Oh right - that's why CCPOA hates private prisons.

The private guys aren't really cops though - no batons, no guns, no POST certificates.

I don't think we think nearly enough about prisons or prisoners. We get lots of coverage about costs and guards though.