At $249 per day, prison stays leave ex-inmates deep in debt

In this Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022 photo, Fred Hodges, left, and Da'ee McKnight at their workplace, Family ReEntry, a reentry support group aiming to break cycles of violence, crime and incarceration in Bridgeport, Conn. Hodges and McKnight are former Connecticut inmates who have been paying for cost of their incarceration.

Now, she’s afraid she’ll have to sell her home of 51 years, where she lives with two adult children, a grandchild and her disabled brother. Under the revised law, about 98% of Connecticut inmates no longer have to pay any of the costs of their incarceration after they get out, said state Rep. Steve Stafstrom, a Bridgeport Democrat and a sponsor of the repeal legislation.

“It just drags you back to despair,” said Beatty, who has had other brushes with the law over drug possession since her release from jail, but has also become a certified nursing assistant. “That’s where I feel like I’m at. I feel like no hope. Where do I go? All of this work and it feels like I’ve done it in vain.”

Connecticut’s partial repeal went into effect July 1. The state is projected to collect about $5.5 million less per year from ex-prisoners because of the change.

'a fine hotel,' get it? It's a hotel where you're fined. You're fined, not for your crime, but for being in their cage. You don't get the joke? We own your house.

Just so I am clear. As a tax payer I pay for prison and the inmate also has to pay? Okay so somebody out there is getting to double down while the innocent pay up and prisoner pay up. Damn we all might as well be prisoners with that logic.

That's just wrong

What an absurdity!

America....

Don’t care

Wow

You think having a speeding ticket quota is bad - how about incentive to lock people up? Explains a lot eh? 'All but two states have so-called “pay-to-stay” laws that make prisoners pay for their time behind bars, though not every state actually pursues people for the money'

Wut? 😳

ANYTHING to keep them in the system. We are one vindictive bunch, aren’t we?

I think being incarcerated was punishment enough.

💔

So when officials say that our taxes pay for prisons so we get a refund when an inmate makes good on their debt?

Soooooo ... Why the hell are 2 men in the picture if it's about a woman? I mean, SERIOUSLY? 🤔

Something is wrong here! It cost her $249/day. Was she being served in bed? Did she not have to work while incarcerated, ie clean up, laundry... It cost her more than stayed in a fancy hotel. Wow!

Um wtf. Prison should only be applicable for violent offenders.

If people think this is unfair, wait until you hear about the power of the IRS.

249 per day? JFC what is wrong with this country

I was today years old when I learned inmates are billed for their prison stay when they complete their sentence. Is this really a thing?

Don't be a criminal then.

This country sucks

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At $249 per day, prison stays leave ex-inmates deep in debtA few states have been amending or repealing “pay-to-stay” laws that require former prisoners to reimburse states for the cost of their jail stays, sometimes at daily rates exceeding what they would have paid to stay in a luxury hotel Why don't they work while in prison? They always need people to do general labor for municipalities. Taking care of parks, cleaning up litter, painting buildings. I am sure there are people in jail that have useful skills too or are willing to learn a trade. Make prison useful. Sad stories of relatives wanting to help out an ex-con only for their checks or bequests to be SEIZED. Reminds me of debtors prisons. They put people, sometimes including the whole family, for not paying off a debt. They stayed there until the debt was paid. Problem was they couldn't earn money to pay off the debt while in prison.
Source: ABC - 🏆 471. / 51 Read more »