An investigation into the prisons in Arizona discovered that inmates in the state’s private prisons rarely cost less than those in state-run prisons, and in some cases cost as much as $1,600 more per inmate per year. The report also noted that private prisons can push down costs by refusing to take prisoners with severe illnesses or a history of violence, something state-run prisons can't do.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 19, 2019 10:07 UTC