I think this is a hugely important question. There's nothing about private prisons that says they have to be worse than state-run prisons. As a crazy thought ex

I think this is a hugely important question. There's nothing about private prisons that says they have to be worse than state-run prisons. As a crazy thought experiment, a private-prison could drive profits up by creating an environment that was better than living in a shit apartment, working a shit job. Encourage recidivism through kindness, drive up profits. It's obviously still against the interests of everyone but the business, but would certainly be more humane treatment than any prisoner is getting in a state-run prison ("I hang out with my friends and play xbox!"). As a less flippant example, creating better conditions would mean less unrest, less unrest would mean you could get away with fewer staff. Staff expenses are usually one of the highest costs for a business, so cutting that would positively effect the bottom line.