Abstract

Under the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution States are granted the right to pursue policy and create laws that do not interfere with or directly contradict Federal Laws. As such, there is often a wide variation in the policies, laws, and practices each state chooses to enact. This study examines the variation of private prison usage across the United States at the state level. I argue that this variation is due to campaign contributions and the influence they have on legislation at the state level. The theory for this study is based on existing research on the influence of campaign contributions on electoral and policy outcomes. This study utilizes a multivariate regression run with data compiled on campaign contribution and private prisons as well as elections, state budgets, and crime rate for controls from 2006 to 20016. This study found a small, statistically insignificant, positive relationship between campaign contributions and private prison usage percentage. I hope that future research can improve upon this study and helps solve the puzzle of why some states utilize private prisons more than others.

Advisor

Bos, Angie

Department

Political Science

Disciplines

American Politics

Keywords

private prisons, campaign contributions, influence

Publication Date

2021

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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