Do some homework before making assumptions about the costs of private prisons. Firstly, the prisoners were brought back to Alaska to be closer to their support networks. Secondly, they were only out of State because the State didn't have the space to house them. Third, the private prison sector knew this, so the State was bent over a barrel, caught paying more per prisoner than the cost to incarcerate in AK because the private sector begun to charge whatever they wanted, knowing our limitations. Lastly, private prisons employ guards, not officers. The pay is low, the training is bad, corruption is high, and reformative programs are not heartfelt. I could go on, but something tells me you really don't care at all about this except to spread pre-conceived notions that wouldn't change until you had firsthand experience, which you clearly don't.