TIL 40 states in the US charge you $20-$80 a day for being incarcerated in prison.

Just to really fuck up your life when you get out

The US is starting to sound made up

Isn't the US famous for their prison for profit, where prisons are privately owned and states need to pay if there are fewer incarcerated people inside?

To me, this sounds straight from 1984.

This is some serious "keep hitting yourself" material. It's not like you can decide to not be incarcerated. $7300-$29200 of debt per year spent in prison. Man, that is some vicious shit. Nobody will be able to convince me that this is not specifically designed to keep people down forever.

It's actually worse than that... I went looking for a list, I found this:

https://www.vox.com/2015/5/26/8660001/prison-jail-cost

"Forty-three states allow inmates to get charged for "room and board" — the cost of their own imprisonment. Thirty-five states charge inmates for at least some medical expenses. Taken together, at least 49 states have a law on the books that authorizes at least one of the two. (Hawaii, as well as DC, doesn't have statutes that explicitly address pay-to-stay.)"

That's the beauty of both ruling parties being 100% in support of the prison industrial complex. In fact, our current president even helped usher through the '94 Crime Bill, which keeps prisons nice and full for his golf buddies and institutional donors.

I just heard about that for the first time a few days ago, and I couldn't believe it was real. As horrible as I think the United States of Ferenginar is, they always manage to surprise me and be worse.

Privatized prisons are an abomination.

Obligatory Incarceration in Real Numbers

The people writing these laws and the people paying them to write them are the ones who belong in prison.

I have a friend who was in. Outrageously expensive! Paid 'rent', paid for various classes he was required to take, and paid for each mandatory random drig test. Plus, what they have to pay for phone calls is crazy!!

This is what conservatives wanted. This is what Democrats wanted. This is what capitalists wanted. America is a fucking authoritarian shithole. It has no concept at all what freedom is, and never has. All of that "freedom" shit is a bald faced fucking lie.

And now some asshole raised in some Appalachian shithole is gonna stomp in here and try to tell everyone that America is great because he served in Afghanistan and if you hate America move

rationales justifying these fees routinely do not recognize them as a form of punishment and instead policymakers see pay-to-stay as financial reimbursement to the state by portraying incarcerated people as using up system resources. The justification allows pay-to-stay statutes to survive legal arguments alleging double punishment.

Shouldve shopped around for a prison within your means

I read the wiki page. Pretty barebones, but it did link to https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34705968

In theory, I could entertain an argument about having criminals repay some of the costs of dealing with them, that's not what's going on here.

The sum that is able to be collected doesn't go straight into the county coffers, either - the jail contracts with a company

The jail gets 30%, the company gets 70%.

It really just looks like just another way to exploit prisoners for profit.

Might be somewhat acceptable if a job was available while in prison to support these living expenses. That at least might improve confidence and start the rehabilitation process.

Oh wait, who am I kidding. Prison has nothing to do with rehabilitation.

How to absolutely destroy your net worth:

Step 1: go to prison

There is no step 2.

On release: "you've paid your debt to society, now pay your debt to the prison!"

How is this not considered cruel or unusual punishment?

The very idea is absurd. It is so counter productive to the idea of rehabilitation. The prisons themselves say they aren't a significant revenue stream. Trying to offset the cost of a societal need by charging fees to prisons doesn't even make any sense. And the companies that are tasked with collecting this debt get 70% of what they collect which means that even the argument about offsetting the state's cost doesn't make sense.

It's profit seeking, counter productive cruelty and that's it. Just shameful.

System of a down - Prison song.

The US is in free fall. Kinda crazy to see how passive the people are there.

In Oz you get paid a small amount per day so you have some adjustment money when you get out

So they can sponge off any legal judgements you get for false imprisonment

Indicative of a failed system OR a abusive system.
Pick one.
There are no other explanations.
Pick one.

Believe it or not if you can't pay.. straight to jail

I thought last I heard about this that the bills for this weren't usually called for payment unless you were suing them for something. Could be mistaken

What do they do if the incarcerated people are unable to pay the fee? Do they just let the debt add up? That's awful...

They're trying to build a prison They're trying to build a prison Following the rights movement, you clamped on with your iron fists Drugs became conveniently available for all the kids Following the rights movement, you clamped on with your iron fists Drugs became conveniently available for all the kids I buy my crack, my smack, my bitch right here in Hollywood (Nearly two million Americans are incarcerated in the prison system, prison system of the US) They're trying to build a prison They're trying to build a prison They're trying to build a prison (For you and me to live in) Another prison system Another prison system Another prison system (For you and me) Minor drug offenders fill your prisons you don't even flinch All our taxes paying for your wars against the new non-rich Minor drug offenders fill your prisons you don't even flinch All our taxes paying for your wars against the new non-rich I buy my crack, my smack, my bitch right here in Hollywood (The percentage of Americans in the prison system, prison system, has doubled since 1985) They're trying to build a prison They're trying to build a prison They're trying to build a prison (For you and me to live in) Another prison system Another prison system Another prison system (For you and me) For you and I, you and I, you and I You and I They're trying to build a prison They're trying to build a prison They're trying to build a prison for you and me Oh, baby, you and me Oh Oh All research and successful drug policy show that treatment should be increased (Oh) And law enforcement decreased while abolishing mandatory minimum sentences (Oh) All research and successful drug policy show that treatment should be increased (Oh) And law enforcement decreased while abolishing mandatory minimum sentences Utilising drugs to pay for secret wars around the world Drugs are now your global policy, now you police the globe I buy my crack, my smack, my bitch right here in Hollywood Drug money is used to rig elections and train brutal corporate sponsored dictators around the world They're trying to build a prison They're trying to build a prison They're trying to build a prison (For you and me to live in) Another prison system Another prison system Another prison system (For you and me) For you and I, you and I, you and I You and me They're trying to build a prison They're trying to build a prison They're trying to build a prison for you and me Oh, baby, you and me

Very weird that I am so old and have literally never heard this mentioned in a TV show or book or movie or anything.

I don't think that's weird at all. But it certainly says a lot about the US media landscape.

Back on my day prison was a nickle and we liked it.

not sure which ones, but at least one charges you per day for the length of your sentence even if you're let out early

it's sad and conspicuous that all of the reasons you hear about these days that would actually justify going out and killing terrible people mostly all involve things the American government has done or permitted. Truly the driving force for evil in the world.

Lol at those citations. low bar.

In Utah, you get charged fees by the day if you've been charged and/or convicted of a misdemeanor. No charge if it's a felony. They figure they'll get their moneys worth if the inmate goes to work at Utah Corrections Industries.

Lazy criminals just need to get a job.

/s

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