Selection criteria for prison locations: Key study of Turkey

The theory of public finance suggests that public sector intervention in the economy primarily concerns the efficient allocation of resources, equal distribution of wealth, and stabilization of economic activity throughout the operating cycle. Given that prisons are a public investment, this study identified the criteria involved in selecting the location of prisons in Turkey, a topic that has not been discussed before. The criteria for locating these establishments were analysed using an analytical network process in which the weight of each criterion in the total was determined by conducting a face-to-face survey with officials in the justice system who are difficult to access. The results show that political factors (50.89%) had the biggest influence on the location selection of a prison, and the positive impact on economic development of the selected region was only 13.56%. In contrast to the existing literature, location selection in Turkey does not follow the theory of public finance: the economic impacts are not considered, and decisions are taken politically.