On one hand, guards, staff,etc need to be paid. Someone being a criminal should not put extra burden on the rest of us, and our social services. Many for-profit prisons are incentivized to better serve than state-run institutions.

On the other hand, many prisons, private and otherwise, seem to play dirty rent-seeking bs with insanely low conpensation for work done, exorbiant fees for calling, visiting,or even emailing family, and systematic mismanagement.

Clearly there is a way to optimize this system, and both profit, and improve lives. Maybe someone here has a vision.