Are prisons in the US private or public?

In the United States, prisons can be either public or private. Public prisons are operated by government entities at the federal, state, or local levels, while private prisons are run by for-profit companies under contracts with government agencies. The use of private prisons has been a controversial topic, with debates surrounding their impact on incarceration rates, conditions of confinement, and rehabilitation efforts. Overall, the majority of inmates are housed in public facilities.