Private prisons are largely a red herring. They account for some 8.4% of the prison population. [1] Many of the horror stories coming from them are simply from the fact that state corrections agencies willfully loosen their standards when contracting with private prison operators.<p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bjs.gov&#x2F;content&#x2F;pub&#x2F;pdf&#x2F;p14.pdf" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bjs.gov&#x2F;content&#x2F;pub&#x2F;pdf&#x2F;p14.pdf</a>, p. 14