Ethics in the Hollow State: Distinguishing between Nonprofit and For-Profit Agents of Prisoner Reentry

Abstract

New public management, a reform movement that shifted the provision of public goods and services towards private institutions, is firmly entrenched in the United States. The Hollow State, a metaphor often used synonymously with contracting out, reflects the growing trend of using non-governmental networks–often nonprofits but also for-profit organizations–to deliver social services to vulnerable groups. This article, which draws from the author’s dissertation, examines differences in nonprofit and for-profit prisoner reentry agencies. The findings suggest that nonprofit/for-profit differences are eroding as the nonprofit sector becomes more competitive with the private sector for government contracts.