[Morgeruat]

Here's a couple of articles about the tent city prison, the truth or fiction article mentions lower drug addiction rates of inmates leaving, and an acreditted high school in the prison:

http://www.cnn.com/US/9907/27/tough.sheriff/
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/m/miracopjail.htm
http://www.snopes.com/crime/deserts/pink.asp
http://www.mcso.org/submenu.asp?file=tentcity

It is definitely of the punish criminals mindset, establishing conditions that make it very undesirable to return, the second article however is the only one I've seen that actually mentions recidivism rates... not actual stats about reoffenders. my research also turned up that apparently most of the inmates are first time offenders, of typically non-violent crimes.