several different types of facilities within each region. A central office is also designated for each of the six 
regions. Click on the link in the annotation of the map to see it in a larger scale. 
FBOP Regional Map 
BOP Regional map 
 
Private Prisons 
The privatization of goods and services has long been a staple of state departments of corrections, as it 
allows these organizations to subcontract specific tasks within their prisons. This includes services like food 
and transportation services, medical, dental, and mental health services, education services, even laundry 
services.  As mentioned in the previous section on punishment, there was much ado about crime in the 
United States in the 1970s and 1980s. This brought on an increased fear of crime and a more punitive state 
within the United States. It was during this time that a small company known as Wackenhut, a subsidiary of 
The Wackenhut Corporation (TWC) sought to privatize the entirety of a prison, not just services within the 
prison. A second company, Corrections Corporation of America ultimately won the contract and became 
the first privately owned prison in the United States (1984). Today, Core Civic (formerly Corrections 
Corporation of America) runs approximately 128 facilities in the United States. 
1 The GEO Group, the other 
1. See Core Civic facilities map: http://www.corecivic.com/facilities 
Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System
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