Because they already did that. Miserable failure.
It cost Billions to warehouse people, made the crime rate go higher and was quite frankly, evil.
So a few years ago, they figured out what an abhorrent waste of money (and lives) it was, and they started doing stuff like rehab and community intervention.
And the numbers were and are startling.
But Harper and his crew will stick to the script, because that is what the single issue voters that support them want.
And the ones who are going to make a nice chunk’o’change want it too.
Private prisons are highly profitable. Taxpayer dollars pay to put people in prison for mandatory sentences, these corporations are not doing it as a community service.