That is a completely legitimate concern. It’s important to note that even if prisons are publicly run, there’s still a bunch of private actors in the prison system in the form of the people who work in it. Prison worker unions and police unions lobby for more laws already to protect their jobs. Private prisons might make that aspect worse, but it’s not like it’s perfect now.
Just want to add, if Chase seems reasonable to you and you don’t have another preferred candidate, please actually support him. The Ron Paul paleoconservative wing of the Libertarian Party is criticizing him pretty hard. If he doesn’t end up with support and votes, it will be harder to get a nominee that appeals to the left in the future.
I like Chase. I think he’s a great speaker, and he’s good at making great little one liners. I like most of his policies. I’m not fully on board with the Gaza is a genocide or puberty blockers are reversible stances, but his intentions are good even with those issues.