when did the first prison system establish in the u.s.
Private Jails in the United States. Download article as a PDF. Private jails, prisons and detention centers have a long history in the U.S., as far back as 1852 when San Quentin was the first for-profit prison in the U.S. (it is currently state-owned). A more recent resurgence in private prisons came in the wake of wide-spread privatization that took place during the 1980s.