(a) The commissioner may not contract with privately owned and operated prisons for the care, custody, and rehabilitation of inmates committed to the custody of the commissioner.
(b) Notwithstanding section 43A.047 , nothing in this section prohibits the commissioner from contracting with privately owned residential facilities, such as halfway houses, group homes, work release centers, or treatment facilities, to provide for the care, custody, and rehabilitation of inmates who have been released from prison under section 241.26 , 244.05 , 244.0513 , 244.065 , or 244.172 , or any other form of supervised or conditional release.